Waco UPF-7 incident near Marathon, Florida, February 6, 1989
On February 6, 1989 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Waco UPF-7, registered N39721, suffered minor damage in an incident near Marathon, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FUEL STARVATION DUE TO A CORRODED CARBURETOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 6, 1989 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Marathon, Florida · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco UPF-7 · all UPF-7s on the register
- Registration
- N39721 · registry record · serial 5854
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A SIGHTSEEING FLT DURING NORMAL CRUISE, THE PLT REPORTED THE ENG QUIT. HE DITCHED THE ACFT IN THE OCEAN. MONTHS LATER, AFTER THE ACFT WAS RECOVERED, A CURSORY EXAMINATION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. EXAMINATION OF THE CARBURETOR BOWL AND FUEL STRAINER REVEALED CORROSION.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W-670-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MTH at 5:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from EYW, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N39721 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA89IA080.