Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 600 accident near Apopka, Florida, November 2, 1989
On November 2, 1989 at about 1:45 pm local time, a Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 600, registered N7526S, was destroyed in an accident near Apopka, Florida (Orlando Executive airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 ABOVE THE WATER, WHILE PROCEEDING OVER A LAKE AND APPROACHING THE VICINITY OF THE AIRPORT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 2, 1989 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Apopka, Florida · Orlando Executive
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 600 AEROSTAR 6
- Registration
- N7526S · no longer on the register · serial 60-0158-071
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIR TAXI ACFT DEPARTED SHREVEPORT, LA, AT APRX 0500 CST ON AN UNSCHEDULED, DOMESTIC, CARGO FLT. AT ABOUT 0815 EST, THE PLT RPRTD ON COMPANY FREQ THAT HE WAS APPROXIMATELY 30 MIN FROM THE DESTN (ORLANDO, FL). SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED IN THE NW PART OF LAKE APOPKA, APRX 15 TO 20 MI WNW OF THE DESTN ARPT. A WITNESS HEARD IT CRASH, THEN SAW PARTS FROM THE ACFT, BUT DID NOT SEE THE ACTUAL IMPACT. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A SHALLOW DESCENT, WHILE IN A SLIGHT LEFT WING LOW ATTITUDE, TRAVELING AT A RELATIVELY HIGH SPEED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FOUND, THOUGH THE ACFT WAS EXTENSIVELY DMGD & SOME OF THE WRECKAGE WAS NOT RECOVERED FROM THE LAKE. THE ORLANDO WX WAS IN PART: 2500' SCT, VIS 6 MI WITH FOG & HAZE, WIND FROM 350 DEG AT 4 KTS.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,509 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 8, 1989; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cherokee Leasing INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SHV Shreveport LA at 12:00 pm
- Destination: ORL Orlando FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:48 pm from MCO, 18 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.
Other NTSB records under N7526S the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.