What happened
The Cessna departed Runway 9 with an IFR clearance. After takeoff, the aircraft turned to a heading of 180 degrees and climbed to 1,900 feet. Approximately 25 seconds before the final radar target was recorded, the flight was cleared to turn right to a heading of 360 degrees. No distress call was made by the pilot. The airplane subsequently crashed into the Straits of Florida. The wreckage was located approximately 0.55 nautical mile and 278 degrees from the last recorded radar target.
The investigation
The investigation examined the fragmented fuselage and wings. There was no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction regarding the airframe, engine, or flight instruments, and no heat or fire damage was found on any recovered wreckage. The aircraft was equipped with a standby electrically controlled vacuum pump and a standby electrically operated attitude indicator on the co-pilot's side of the instrument panel. Postaccident, both the pilot's and co-pilot's attitude indicators depicted the airplane in a steep nose-down attitude and a right bank angle of approximately 60 degrees. The turn coordinator also indicated a bank angle greater than standard rate. Additionally, the tachometer and airspeed indications both exceeded maximum limitations.
Records showed that a new engine-driven vacuum pump had been installed in July 2003. Inspections for the altimeter, automatic pressure altitude reporting system, static pressure system, and transponder were last recorded in October 2002. The aircraft was scheduled for an annual inspection four days after the accident. The instrument rated pilot had a total flight time of 829 hours, with 16 hours accumulated on this specific aircraft between April and November 2004.