Cessna 172P accident near Fort Myers, Florida, May 16, 1998
On May 16, 1998 at about 6:18 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N63012, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Myers, Florida. It was an instructional 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 inflight decision and her selection of unsuitable terrain to conduct a precautionary landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 16, 1998 · about 6:18 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Myers, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N63012 · no longer on the register · serial 17275372
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot encountered problems with the aircraft's radios while on a cross country flight, and was unable to continue communications. After passing the airport to which she was previously vectored to by ATC, she elected to perform a precautionary landing in a field adjacent to an airstrip. During the flare, she realized that the field was rippled, but continued the landing. During the landing roll, she applied brakes and the airplane nosed over. Examination of the electrical system by an FAA inspector revealed a loose terminal at the toggle switch connection of the avionics buss. Prior to the accident, another pilot had noted that the avionics switch did not activate the radios, and the switch had to be manipulated several times before power was applied to the radios. According to the maintenance personnel, the switch was turned on and the problem was not duplicated. No other maintenance was performed.
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: 79 hours in all; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 21 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,195 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 24, 1998; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PMP Pompano Beach FL
- Destination: SRQ Sarasota FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:47 pm from RSW
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 N63012 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.