Cessna 152 accident near Ochopee, Florida, September 21, 1989
On September 21, 1989 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N47009, was destroyed in an accident near Ochopee, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE OVER THE TERRAIN. RELATED FACTORS WERE: DARK NIGHT, SPATIAL DISORIENTATION OF THE PILOT, AND HIS LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THE TYPE OF OPERATION (NIGHT FLYING).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 1989 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Ochopee, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N47009 · no longer on the register · serial 152-83156
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD RECEIVED HIS PRIVATE PLT CERTIFICATE 5 DAYS EARLIER. HE TOOK OFF WITH A FRIEND AT NIGHT FOR A FLT OVER THE EVERGLADES. WHEN OPERATIONS PERSONNEL REALIZED THE ACFT HAD NOT RETURNED, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. ON 9/22/89, THE ACFT WAS FOUND WHERE IT HAD CRASHED IN THE EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE ACFT HAD IMPACTED IN A SLIGHT NOSE DOWN, LEFT BANK ATTITUDE. IT WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED DRG IMPACT & THE MAIN WRECKAGE TRAVELED ABOUT 120 YDS BEFORE COMING TO REST. BOTH PROP BLADES WERE CURLED & CONTAINED CHORDWISE SCRATCHES. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS FOUND. THE PLT HAD LOGGED A TOTAL OF 4.2 HRS OF NIGHT TIME.
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: 104 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 12, 1989; 86 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HWO Hollywood FL at 1:40 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 020° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.