Cessna 650 accident near Caico Seco, Ve, February 18, 2008
On February 18, 2008 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Cessna 650, registered N385EM, was destroyed in an accident near Caico Seco. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under non-U.S. private rules. 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 18, 2008 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Caico Seco, Ve · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 650 · all 650s on the register
- Registration
- N385EM · registry record
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · non-U.S. private rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On February 18, 2008, about 1815 Venezuelan local time, a Cessna 650, N385EM, was destroyed when it impacted the savanna near Caico Seco, Anzoategui, Venezuela. The two pilots and one passenger, all Venezuelan citizens, were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight was on an instrument flight rules flight plan from Arturo Michelena International Airport (SWA), Valencia, Carabobo, to Manual Carlos Piar International Airport (PZO), Puerto Ordaz, Bolivar. The airplane was operating under Venezuelan flight regulations. Preliminary information indicated that the airplane was in cruise flight, at flight level 300, when it dove into the ground. There were no distress calls, and there was no inclement weather in the area at the time. The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the government of Venezuela. Further information may be obtained from: Junta Investigadora de Accidentes de Aviación Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Infraestructura Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela Av. Francisco de Miranda Torre MINFRA, Piso-20 Caracas, Republica de Bolivariana de Venezuela Tel: 58 (212) 2015551 Email: atencionalciudadano@infraestructura.gob.ve http://www.infraestructura.gob.ve/portal/verinfo.php?IdMenu=18&IdDetalleMenu=51 This report is for informational purposes, and only contains information released by or obtained for the government of Venezuela.
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
No details recorded.
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: SWA Valencia
- Destination: PZO Puerto Ordaz
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC08WA104.