Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Cape Canaveral, Florida, June 10, 1999
On June 10, 1999, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N56192, was destroyed in an accident near Cape Canaveral, 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
The pilot's VFR flight into Instrument meteorological conditions and his subsequent failure to maintain control of the aircraft resulting in overload and separation of both wings. Contributing factors were the pilot's failure to obtain a preflight and in-flight weather briefing, thunderstorm and dark night conditions, and the pilot's lack of instrument certification.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 1999
- Place
- Cape Canaveral, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N56192 · no longer on the register · serial 28R-7335380
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot obtained no preflight or in-flight weather briefings. While being vectored by ATC and advised to maintain VFR under dark night conditions, the non-instrument rated pilot encountered level 3 radar returns. Radar data from Jacksonville ARTCC indicates that the airplane entered a left turn with the airplane descending 1,000 feet in a 12 second period between the second to last and the last radar returns. The airplane was lost from radar at 5,400 feet mean sea level. Separated sections of both wings and right horizontal stabilator were located about .3 nautical mile south-southwest of the main wreckage location. Examination of the fracture surfaces revealed no evidence of preexisting cracks. A search for the airplane by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Civil Air Patrol, and aircraft from Patrick and Moody Air Force Base was performed. The flight crew of a helicopter from the 301'st rescue squadron located the wreckage approximately 40 hours after the airplane was lost from radar. Examination of the engine, flight controls, and vacuum pump revealed no evidence of pre-impact failure or malfunction. The end of civil twilight where radar contact was lost occurred at 2052. Cocaine and benzoylecgonine, which is an inactive metabolite of cocaine, were detected in the pilot's bile. Propoxyphene, which is a narcotic painkiller often referred to by the trade name Darvon, and norpropoxyphene, which is a metabolite of Propoxyphene, were also detected in the pilot's bile. A small plastic packet of cocaine was found in a wallet that contained the pilot's identification.
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: 202 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 151 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,883 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 4, 1999; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FXE Fort Lauderdale FL at 11:03 pm
- Destination: SFB Sanford FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; scat at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.