Cessna 172M accident near Ochopee, Florida, May 11, 1993
On May 11, 1993 at about 11:15 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N9985V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ochopee, Florida (Dade Collier airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S POOR JUDGEMENT IN ATTEMPTING THE TAKEOFF FROM THE PARKING RAMP WHEN A 12,000-FT RUNWAY WAS AVAILABLE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 11, 1993 · about 11:15 am local time
- Place
- Ochopee, Florida · Dade Collier
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9985V · no longer on the register · serial 64603
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
IN ORDER TO SAVE TIME, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A TAKEOFF FROM THE 1,200-FT LONG PARKING RAMP INSTEAD OF THE AVAILABLE 12,000-FT LONG RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE WAS EQUIPPED WITH A CRUISE PROPELLER THAT WILL NOT DEVELOPE FULL RPM DURING TAKEOFF. THE TAKEOFF RUN WAS ABORTED, AND THE AIRPLANE OVERRAN THE RAMP COMING TO REST IN WATER AND MUCK.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 3,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wyatt Aviation Services
The flight
- Departed from: TNT at 11:15 am
- Destination: TNT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 080° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:58 am from MIA, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.