History of Flight
On January 23, 2024, at about 1844 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172N airplane, N737VC, was substantially damaged when it crashed near Weston, Florida. Both commercial pilots were fatally injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight to build flight time.
The left-seat pilot had rented the airplane from a flight school. The school owner reported that the left-seat pilot had been a student at the school about two years prior and had completed a flight review with a school instructor on the morning of the accident. The owner stated that the two pilots met for the first time on the day of the accident; the right-seat pilot was aboard to serve as a safety pilot at the left-seat pilot's request.
ADS-B data showed that the airplane departed North Perry Airport (HWO), Hollywood, Florida, to the east at 1830, then turned 180° right onto a westerly track. It climbed to a maximum altitude of 1,950 ft mean sea level (msl) about 1834 before beginning to descend. Altitude varied between 1,000 and 1,600 ft msl, and calibrated airspeed varied between 90 and 120 kts. Around 1837:45, the airplane made a gradual right turn to a northerly track toward the Everglades Wildlife Management Area, an undeveloped wetland area with little ground lighting. At 1840, the right-seat pilot sent a text message stating, “so dark night,” followed by “U can’t see anything tonight.”
During the final five minutes, the airplane continued turning north. About 1841, it gained airspeed while descending 100 to 200 ft. At 1843:43, it began descending at an initial rate of 1,700 ft per minute, which increased to 3,400 ft per minute by 1843:50 until the ADS-B data ended at 1844:01 at 525 ft altitude. The wreckage was located about 1,000 ft farther along the final track at an elevation of 10 ft above sea level in a swampy area.
The flight school owner reported the airplane missing to the local FAA flight standards district office and airport traffic control tower between 0800 and 0900 the next morning.
Personnel Information
The left-seat pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single- and multi-engine land and instrument ratings. The flight school owner estimated about 600 hours of flight time, while the flight instructor who performed the review estimated about 700 hours. No logbook was located; the pilot’s night and instrument experience could not be determined. The flight instructor reported the left-seat pilot appeared fit and healthy on the morning of the accident and had come from Texas to rent and build flight time.
The right-seat pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with similar ratings, plus airplane single-engine sea. The school owner reported about 1,200 hours. A third-party logbook vendor provided an electronic logbook showing a first entry on May 19, 2022, and a last entry on January 16, 2023, with 214.3 hours logged. The vendor also noted 57 draft entries from January 19, 2023, to January 20, 2024. Non-draft entries showed 62.4 hours of night flying, 99.3 hours of actual instrument, and 4.8 hours of simulated instrument conditions.
Meteorological Information
The US Naval Observatory reported sunset at 1758, civil twilight end at 1823, moon rise at 1607, and upper transit at 2322. The moon was waxing gibbous with 96% illumination.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The debris path was about 300 ft long on a magnetic heading of about 10°. The first piece, the nosewheel, was impact-separated and found 300 ft from the main wreckage. The nose landing gear was near the nosewheel, separated from the firewall. The left wing was impact-separated and located about 150 ft from the main wreckage. The main wreckage came to rest on a heading of about 130° magnetic in water about 4 ft deep. A postimpact fire consumed portions of the fuselage and right wing. The instrument panel, firewall, and engine remained attached and were found about 25 ft from the main wreckage.
Control continuity was established from all primary flight controls to cockpit controls through multiple impact fractures consistent with tensile overload and cuts made during recovery. The flap actuator was consistent with a flaps-up position. Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy of the left-seat pilot by the Broward County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries with contributory drowning, manner of death accident. Toxicology testing by the FAA and Broward County found methamphetamine at 50 ng/mL in peripheral blood by Broward County, but FAA testing did not detect methamphetamine in any specimen. The two laboratories communicated about the discrepant results but could not identify an explanation. Methamphetamine is a CNS stimulant and a “Do Not Issue/Do Not Fly” medication per the FAA.
Autopsy of the right-seat pilot also determined cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries, manner accident. FAA testing detected ethanol at 0.011 g/dL in blood, but not in vitreous fluid or urine. Broward County did not detect ethanol in blood or vitreous fluid. Ethanol can be produced postmortem, and vitreous fluid is the best specimen to assess antemortem alcohol. Minoxidil was detected in urine but not blood; sildenafil and desmethylsildenafil were found in urine and blood, along with salicylic acid. The FAA noted minoxidil is acceptable for pilots if the underlying condition is acceptable, and sildenafil typically requires waiting 8 hours before flying.
Additional Information
Human spatial orientation relies on visual, vestibular, and kinesthetic inputs. When external visual cues are limited, the vestibular system can provide misleading information. Sustained forward acceleration can lead to somatogravic illusion, a misperception of pitch. An aircraft performance study using ADS-B data found that the gravito-inertial force (GIF) angle remained nearly nose-level during the initial 20 seconds of the final descent.