Waco UPF-7 accident near Key West, Florida, May 15, 1991
On May 15, 1991 at about 11:48 pm local time, a Waco UPF-7, registered N32133, was substantially damaged in an accident near Key West, Florida (Key West Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A MOMENTARY LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 1991 · about 11:48 pm local time
- Place
- Key West, Florida · Key West Int'L · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco UPF-7 · all UPF-7s on the register
- Registration
- N32133 · registry record · serial 5765
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER DROPPING OFF A BANNER THE PLT ADVANCED THE THROTTLE TO CLIMB BUT STATED THAT THE ENG DID NOT IMMEDIATELY RESPOND TO THE THROTTLE INPUT. WHILE DESCENDING THE ENG RESPONDED BUT NOT BEFORE THE RT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLIDED WITH A DITCH CAUSING THE GEAR TO COLLAPSE. THE RT WING TIP THEN CONTACTED THE GROUND & THE ACFT CAME TO REST HEADING 180 DEGREES FROM THE INITIAL FLT PATH. NO DETERMINATION COULD BE MADE AS TO THE FAILURE OF THE ENG TO IMMEDIATELY RESPOND TO THE THROTTLE INPUT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,570 hours in all; 290 in this make and model; 176 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 3,620 as pilot in command; 846 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,590 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 25, 1990; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W670-6N (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: M & F Flying, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from EYW, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N32133 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.