Cessna 172N accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, May 17, 2000
On May 17, 2000, a Cessna 172N, registered N738VZ, was destroyed in an accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. It was a ferry 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 undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 2000
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N738VZ · no longer on the register · serial 17270284
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Cessna 172N was being delivered from Tampa, Florida, to its new owner, a Spanish flight School at La Coruna, Spain. After a brief stop at Bangor, Maine, where a 124 US gallon long-range (ferry) fuel system was installed, the pilot began the trans-Atlantic portion of the flight. The aircraft performed normally on the Bangor-Gander leg and on to Santa Maria, Azores. The aircraft was fueled with 111.22 US gallons of fuel at Santa Maria adding to the fuel remaining from the flight from Gander, and the pilot estimated an endurance of 13.5 hours of fuel for the 9.5 hour flight to La Coruna. He departed Santa Maria on the wing fuel tanks and after 30 minutes, as per his established procedure, shut down the wing fuel tank system and switched over to the long-range tank system. Approximately 5 hours into the cruise portion of the flight, the engine ceased operating for unknown reasons. The pilot was unable to achieve a restart after switching to the wing tanks and further trouble shooting. The aircraft was ditched about 350 miles west of the coast of Portugal, and a Portuguese fishing vessel retrieved the pilot several hours after the ditching. The aircraft remained afloat for several hours in a nose down attitude and eventually sank in 5,000 meters of water.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,788 hours in all; 540 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 3,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LPAZ Santa Maria OF
- Destination: LECU La Coruna OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.