Cessna 172N accident near Fruitland Park, Florida, October 19, 1996
On October 19, 1996 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5155E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fruitland Park, Florida (Flying Palomino Ranch airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions and failure to maintain proper runway alignment during takeoff. The unfavorable wind condition was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 1996 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fruitland Park, Florida · Flying Palomino Ranch · map
- 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
- N5155E · no longer on the register · serial 17271741
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he initiated a takeoff to the west on a private grass airstrip with a wind from 350 degrees. Just after becoming airborne, the airplane encountered a gust of wind. The pilot applied aileron input, but the airplane veered off the runway and collided with fence posts.
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: 92 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 17 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,194 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 7, 1996; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Orlando
The flight
- Departed from: 5X1 at 2:15 pm
- Destination: LEE Leesburg FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:26 pm from LEE, 7 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 N5155E 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.