Piper PA-32-260 accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, March 3, 1999
On March 3, 1999 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N4802S, was destroyed in an accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. It was a business 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
a loss of engine power for an undetermined reason, resulting in a forced landing in water, and subsequent sinking of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 3, 1999 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N4802S · no longer on the register · serial 32-1187
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was cruising at 4,500 feet, and was about 20 minutes into the flight, when the pilot reported the engine oil temperature rose rapidly to the red line. About 14 minutes later the oil pressure dropped, the engine ran rough, and the pilot could not maintain altitude. He radioed his position on a frequency of 121.5, 60 DME (distance measuring equipment), off the Nassau VOR 120 degree radial. He elected to ditch near a boat. About 50 feet above the water the propeller stopped, and he glided as close to the boat as he could. The airplane sank and the pilot was picked up from the water, by the occupants of the boat. The airplane was not recovered from the ocean and the cause of the engine failure was not determined.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,942 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 188 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 1,889 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYCE Cat Island OF at 3:30 pm
- Destination: MYNN Nassau OF
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from MYN
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.