Cessna 152 accident near Okeelanta, Florida, November 19, 1987
On November 19, 1987 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N89741, was destroyed in an accident near Okeelanta, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 1987 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Okeelanta, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N89741 · no longer on the register · serial 15282849
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED INTO A WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE WITH ABOUT 20 DEGS FLAPS EXTENDED. THE STATED PURPOSE OF THE FLT WAS TO SPOT DEER & A SUITABLE AREA IN WHICH TO HUNT. TORSIONAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRFRAME SUGGESTED THAT THE ACFT WAS SPINNING AT IMPACT. WITNESSES IN THE AREA STATED THAT THERE WERE HEAVY RAIN SQUALLS & THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PLT WAS WEARING A SEAT BELT BUT NO SHOULDER HARNESS. THE PAX WAS WEARING NEITHER SEAT BELT NOR SHOULDER HARNESS & HE WAS PARTIALLY EJECTED FROM THE ACFT ON IMPACT. THE NON INSTRUMENT RATED PLT HELD AN EXPIRED MEDICAL CERTIFICATE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE OF THE AIRFRAME, ENGINE NOR RELATED COMPONENTS. ALL COMPONENTS NECESSARY TO SUSTAIN FLT WERE FOUND ATTACHED TO THE ACFT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 96 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 70 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,610 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 22, 1987; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Jet Center Rental Service, INC
The flight
- Departed from: X53 Clewiston FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from PBI, 39 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.