Cessna 404 accident near Raiford, Florida, August 10, 1995
On August 10, 1995 at about 2:10 pm local time, a Cessna 404, registered N461MC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Raiford, Florida (Raiford Prison Airstrip airport). It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 SELECTION OF UNSUITABLE TERRAIN FOR LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 1995 · about 2:10 pm local time
- Place
- Raiford, Florida · Raiford Prison Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 404 · all 404s on the register
- Registration
- N461MC · registry record · serial 0674
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE LANDING ON A WET, SOFT, SOD RUNWAY, THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRPLANE SKIDDED OFF THE RUNWAY INTO A DITCH.
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: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,597 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 93 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 5,253 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,547 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 11, 1994; 351 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,200 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TIX Titusville FL at 1:30 pm
- Destination: FL28 FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 33, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:47 pm from GNV, 25 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA95TA199.