Cessna 402B accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, November 2, 1997
On November 2, 1997 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N69312, was destroyed in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper management of fuel resulting in a total loss of engine power on both engines 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
- November 2, 1997 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402B · all 402Bs on the register
- Registration
- N69312 · no longer on the register · serial 402B0430
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on approach for landing when the right main landing gear did not indicate that it was down. The pilot made a go-around and remained in left closed traffic performing emergency gear extension procedures with negative results. The pilot departed closed traffic and proceeded off shore to burn off fuel before attempting an emergency landing. A company airplane was dispatched to verify the landing gear position. The pilot started a straight in approach for landing five miles from the airport. The right engine started surging and quit. The left engine started surging one mile from the runway. He switched fuel tanks. The engine started and quit. He made a forced landing straight ahead and collided with runway approach lights about 1/4 mile from the end of the runway. The pilot stated he ran out of fuel.
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: 5,017 hours in all; 2,175 in this make and model; 156 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days; 4,936 as pilot in command; 2,242 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,482 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 21, 1997; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Flight
The flight
- Departed from: MYAF Andros Town OF at 8:55 pm
- Destination: FLL FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Observation at 10:50 pm from FLL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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.