Cessna 152 accident near Naples, Florida, December 13, 1991
On December 13, 1991 at about 2:04 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N49278, was destroyed in an accident near Naples, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S INCAPACITATION DUE TO AN UNDETERMINED CARDIOVASCULAR EVENT WHICH RESULTED IN AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT INTO THE GROUND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 13, 1991 · about 2:04 pm local time
- Place
- Naples, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N49278 · no longer on the register · serial 15281219
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING WESTBOUND AT POINT IT WOULD ENTER TRAFFIC PATTERN ON DOWNWIND LEG. THE ACFT SUDDENLY NOSED OVER, ROTATED TO THE LEFT SLIGHTLY, AND IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NEAR VERTICAL DESCENT. CUT TREES INDICATED IMPACT SPEED NEAR 145 KNOTS. NO EVIDENCE OF FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF ACFT STRUCTURE, FLIGHT CONTROLS , OR ENGINE WERE FOUND. NO EVIDENCE OF INFLIGHT COLLISION WITH OBJECTS WAS NOTED. POST MORTEM EXAMINATION OF THE 78-YEAR-OLD PILOT INDICATED HE HAD ARTERIOSCLEROTIC HEART DISEASE.
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: 1,145 hours in all; 825 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,120 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,180 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 11, 1991; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:47 pm from APF, 5 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.
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.