Cessna 172N accident near Immokalee, Florida, April 12, 1993
On April 12, 1993 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6542J, 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE DECISION OF THE PILOT TO BUZZ AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 1993 · about 5:00 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 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6542J · no longer on the register · serial 17273887
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE BECAME BORED WHILE FLYING AND ELECTED TO DESCEND TO FLY CLOSE TO THE GROUND. HE DESCENDED TO APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AND HAD BEEN AT THAT ALTITUDE FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS WHEN HE FELT AN IMPACT. HE DIVERTED TO A NEARBY AIRPORT AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY WHERE HE DISCOVERED THAT THE TOP PORTION OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER WAS MISSING.
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: 100 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 38 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,003 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 23, 1993; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Flyers, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: FXE Fort Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:48 pm from RSW, 20 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 N6542J 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.