Cessna 152 accident near Immokalee, Florida, October 17, 1989
On October 17, 1989 at about 4:41 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N911SA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Immokalee, Florida. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL EXHAUSTION. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT BECOMING LOST OR DISORIENTED, AND THE TREE(S) IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 1989 · about 4:41 pm local time
- Place
- Immokalee, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N911SA · registry record · serial 15285247
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, HE BECAME DISORIENTED WHILE ON A FLT FROM JACKSONVILLE, FL TO FORT MYER, FL. HE OBTAINED ASSISTANCE, BUT THE ACFT LOST POWER FROM FUEL EXHAUSTION BEFORE HE REACHED AN ARPT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING & WAS DAMAGED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT HIS ESTIMATED TIME EN ROUTE WAS PLANNED TO BE 3.3 HRS WITH 4 HRS OF FUEL ON BOARD. THE POWER LOSS OCCURRED AFTER 3 HRS & 12 MIN OF FLT. WITNESSES & FUEL RECEIPTS SHOWED THAT THE ACFT HAD BEEN FLOWN ABOUT 1.5 HRS ON THE PREVIOUS EVENING.
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: 79 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 37 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,239 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 24, 1989; 480 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Shields Aviation Of Georgia
The flight
- Departed from: CRG Jacksonville FL at 2:20 pm
- Destination: FMY Fort Myers FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 2,200 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:47 pm from FMY, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 MIA90LA012.