Cessna 402C accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, June 8, 1999
On June 8, 1999 at about 7:26 pm local time, a Cessna 402C, registered N440AB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 10 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision takeoff with condensation on the cockpit windows which restricted visibility, his improper use of aileron control, improper compensation for winds during takeoff, and his failure to maintain directional control during takeoff, resulting in the aircraft running off the left side of the runway, colliding with a taxiway sign and ditch, and collapsing the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 1999 · about 7:26 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 10 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402C · all 402Cs on the register
- Registration
- N440AB · registry record · serial 402C0440
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During taxi and takeoff on runway 9 right, the pilot and passengers stated the windows of the aircraft were fogged over due to rain. The passengers stated they could not see out the front windows. The pilot stated he could see out the front windows. The passengers also stated the pilot was holding the control wheel full to the right during takeoff. The winds were reported to be from 030 at 10 knots. During takeoff roll the aircraft drifted to the left and went off the runway. The aircraft then crossed over a taxiway and collided with a taxiway identifier sign. The nose gear collapsed and separated. The aircraft then impacted a ditch. The main landing gear collapsed and separated, and the aircraft spun around 90 degrees to the left and came to rest about 100 feet north of the runway. No windshear alerts were recorded during the time of taxi and takeoff of the flight and no standing water was observed on the runway by airport operations personnel shortly 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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,160 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,148 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 3, 1999; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,210 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-VB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Sunshine, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: FLL at 7:26 pm
- Destination: MYAM Marsh Harbour OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9R, 5,276 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 11 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; scat at 700 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:25 pm from FLL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 9 |
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.