Cessna 172D accident near Miami, Florida, December 3, 1994
On December 3, 1994 at about 5:46 pm local time, a Cessna 172D, registered N707PP, was involved in an accident near Miami, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The passenger committed suicide.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 1994 · about 5:46 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172D · all 172Ds on the register
- Registration
- N707PP · no longer on the register · serial 17249752
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was in cruise flight at 5,000 feet agl and had slowed to 70 mph. The passenger stated that she was taking off her headset and moving her seat back so she could get a good photograph. The pilot heard what sounded like a yell, and simultaneously felt wind and noise in the cabin. He looked towards the sound, and observed the passenger partially out of the airplane. When their eyes met, she jumped. Review of ATC transcripts verified that the pilot departed and returned to the departure airport without any intermediate stops. Another pilot wrote a letter to the Safety Board describing a similar incident that occurred 4 days prior to the accident with the same passenger. During that flight, she unlatched the door gunner's safety belt while sitting on the floor with her feet outside the airplane on the landing gear. At the time, she was wearing a parachute with a hidden automatic opener on the reserve parachute. She was subsequently pulled back into the airplane by a safety crewmember and restrained for the return flight. The passenger's airman and medical certificates had been revoked 8/12/91 for failing to disclose a history of, among other conditions, a personality disorder and for the taking of numerous prescribed medications.
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: 246 hours in all; 157 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 129 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,345 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1994; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OPF Opa Locka FL at 4:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from MIA, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.