Cessna 172N accident near Deerfield Beach, Florida, May 21, 1993
On May 21, 1993 at about 5:46 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N4931D, was destroyed in an accident near Deerfield Beach, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED (VSO). THE LOW ALTITUDE AT THE TIME OF THE AERODYNAMIC STALL WAS A FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 1993 · about 5:46 pm local time
- Place
- Deerfield Beach, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4931D · registry record · serial 17272402
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE ENTER A LEFT BANK WHILE MANEUVERING ABOUT 100 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL DURING AN AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY FLIGHT. THE AIRPLANE THEN STALLED, DESCENDED NOSE AND LEFT WING LOW, AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 754 hours in all; 113 in the last 90 days; 63 in the last 30 days; 648 as pilot in command; 180 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,229 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 11, 1993; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Locair, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: FXE Fort Lauderdale FL at 5:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from PMP, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.