Cessna 402A accident near Miami, Florida, June 23, 1995
On June 23, 1995 at about 2:54 pm local time, a Cessna 402A, registered N7884J, was destroyed in an accident near Miami, Florida. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot-in-command's failure to maintain airspeed (VMC) after loss of power of one engine while on final approach, resulting in an in-flight loss of control and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was a total loss of engine power of the right engine due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 1995 · about 2:54 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402A · all 402As on the register
- Registration
- N7884J · no longer on the register · serial 402A-0103
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses stated they observed the airplane descending to the right of the final approach path with the landing gear down and an engine was heard sputtering. The wings of the airplane were observed to be rocking back and forth. The airplane rolled right 90 degrees. The nose pitched up, rolled inverted, collided with a parking lot and slid in between a front end loader and a dump truck.
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: airline transport pilot, 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: 9,800 hours in all; 7,800 in this make and model; 8,700 as pilot in command; 1,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,980 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 15, 1995; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MYAM Marsh Harbor OF at 1:40 pm
- Destination: MIA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from MIA, 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.
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.