History of Flight
On July 1, 2017, about 2118 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N49453, impacted terrain in Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida. The private pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated by Dean International, Inc., dba Dean International Flight School, under Part 91. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated about 2051 from Miami Executive Airport (TMB).
Earlier that day, the pilot flew 1.6 hours with a flight instructor. After landing, the instructor told the pilot to tie down the airplane, but the pilot kept the keys. The airplane was fueled about 1752, and security cameras showed it taxiing and departing TMB, then returning and landing uneventfully. The pilot's girlfriend reported a video call with him from 2006 to 2112, during which he taxied, fueled at 2029, and later started the engine and took off. He contacted ground control about 2040 and was cleared to take off from runway 9R at 2051.
Radar data showed the airplane turning southwest toward HOLMU, the initial approach fix for the RNAV (GPS) RWY 10 approach to Miami Homestead General Aviation Airport (X51). The pilot performed a procedure turn and a hold at about 1,400 ft msl. The last two radar targets, about 4 seconds apart, showed a descent from 1,300 ft to 950 ft msl, a turn from 272° to 324°, with an average descent rate of 6,000 ft per minute. No ATC contact was made at the time of the accident.
The airplane was reported missing on July 3, and on July 5 the flight school alerted TMB tower. The wreckage was located about 2228 on July 5 by a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue helicopter. The pilot's body was recovered on July 6.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The pilot, age 29, held a private pilot certificate (April 18, 2017) and a first-class medical certificate. His total flight experience was 136.3 hours, all in the accident airplane make and model. He had 66.6 hours as pilot-in-command, 3 hours of night operations (none in previous 90 days), and 29.4 hours of simulated instrument flight.
The airplane was a 1978 Cessna 152 (serial 15281280) with a Lycoming O-235-L2C engine and a fixed-pitch propeller. It was equipped with vacuum-driven gyroscopic instruments. The last 100-hour inspection was on June 27, 2017, and the hour meter read 3,690.0 at the time of the accident. The flight instructor who flew with the pilot earlier reported a slight right bank indication on the attitude indicator (3 degrees or less). An earlier discrepancy about an inoperative attitude indicator was corrected on January 27, 2017.
Meteorological Conditions
At the time of the accident, surface winds were from 090° at 8 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, scattered clouds at 2,500 ft, temperature 29°C, dew point 24°C, and altimeter 30.14 inches of mercury. No thunderstorms were within 20 miles. The moon was 54° above the horizon, waxing gibbous with 60% illumination. The sun was more than 15° below the horizon.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted marshy terrain about 10 nautical miles west of X51. The first ground scar was on a magnetic heading of 075°. The main wreckage was 136 ft from the first impact on a heading of 068°. The fuselage was oriented 194°. All structural components and flight controls were accounted for. The cockpit was fragmented; the pilot's seat belt was not latched, and the shoulder harness was not attached. The attitude indicator showed a right bank of about 090°. The directional gyro indicated about 080°. The vacuum regulating valve had debris (likely insect excretions) in one port. The engine exhibited impact damage, with no preimpact failure noted. The propeller blades showed bending and gouges. The ELT was found armed but did not transmit normally on test.
Additional Information
According to Dean International rules, the pilot needed permission for night flight; the school owner stated permission was not granted. The FAA's fact sheet on spatial disorientation notes that when visual references are limited, sensory conflicts can cause disorientation. The pilot had only 3 hours of night experience, none in the previous 90 days.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner determined the cause of death as multiple blunt injuries. Forensic toxicology detected ethanol in liver and muscle specimens (79 and 67 mg/dL) and n-propanol; postmortem production was possible. No tested-for drugs were detected.