Accident Overview
An aircraft operating under visual flight rules (VFR) on a personal flight departed Naples Municipal Airport, Naples, Florida, at 1130 hours. The airplane was later observed conducting touch-and-go landings at Marco Island Municipal Airport, Marco Island, Florida, between 1300 and 1400 hours. It departed that airport at an unspecified time.
Wreckage Discovery
The wreckage was initially spotted at 1700 hours in an area referred to in reports as Unknown Bay. The sighting was initially believed to be a sunken boat. At 1925 hours, the Civil Air Patrol located the airplane and notified authorities, who responded to the crash site.
Investigation Findings
Aircraft records and the Hobbs meter indicated that the airplane had been operated for 4 hours and 36 minutes. Aircraft performance charts showed that fuel exhaustion would occur at 4 hours and 24 minutes of operation. No evidence of fuel was found at the crash site, nor any record of fuel purchase by the pilot. Physical evidence indicated an inflight loss of control: the airplane stalled and spun to the left before impacting the water. No evidence of any powerplant, airframe, or flight control failure was discovered.