Forney F-1 accident near Middleburg, Florida, December 22, 1996
On December 22, 1996 at about 11:08 am local time, a Forney F-1, registered N7530C, was destroyed in an accident near Middleburg, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
VFR flight by the noninstrument-rated pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which resulted in spatial disorientation and an uncontrolled descent into a wooded area. Factors relating to the accident were: failure of the pilot to obtain a preflight weather briefing, darkness, the adverse weather condition (fog and/or low ceiling), and the pilot's lack of instrument experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 1996 · about 11:08 am local time
- Place
- Middleburg, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Forney F-1 · all F-1s on the register
- Registration
- N7530C · registry record · serial 5645
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noninstrument-rated pilot departed in dark night conditions on a local VFR flight at about 0530 EST, when instrument meteorological conditions prevailed due to fog. The flight did not return and Air Force satellites began receiving an emergency locator transmitter signal from the crash site sometime after 0600. The wreckage was located 1 mile southwest of the departure airport. The aircraft had crashed in a wooded area. The wreckage was scattered over 100 feet on a 320 degree heading. During examination of the crash site, all components of the aircraft were located on or around the main wreckage and there was no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of the aircraft structure, flight controls, or engine. The engine tachometer showed the aircraft had flown about 38 minutes since departure. No record of the pilot having received a weather briefing was located after the accident.
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: 305 hours in all; 205 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 205 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,213 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 9, 1996; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FL13 at 10:30 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 am from GNV, 30 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.