The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Miramar, Florida
Textron Aviation; Wichita, Kansas
Location: Miami, Florida
Accident Number: ERA22FA226
Date and Time: May 14, 2022, 12:51 Local
Registration: N8845Z
Aircraft: Cessna 172H
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 2 Serious, 5 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On May 14, 2022, about 1251 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172H airplane, N8845Z, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Miami, Florida. The pilot was fatally injured, two passengers were seriously injured, and five people on the ground received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
On the day of the accident, the pilot departed Miami Homestead General Aviation Airport (X51), Homestead, Florida about 1145, destined for North Perry Airport (HWO), Hollywood, Florida. After landing about 1220, the pilot taxied to a self-serve fuel pump and added about 11.2 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel to the airplane. After loading his passengers, he taxied out and departed at 1238, destined for Key West International Airport (EYW), Key West, Florida.
According to a passenger, he and the other passenger arrived as the pilot was completing the fueling. He observed the pilot use a checklist while were waiting to takeoff. After takeoff, they headed (east) toward the shoreline for local sightseeing. About 15 to 20 minutes later, the pilot called “the tower” and said he had an engine problem and had to return. The passenger did not hear anything wrong with the engine, and though the pilot seemed concerned, he was not panicked. The passenger could not remember anything else.
According to preliminary air traffic control data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration the pilot requested flight following from Miami Approach after takeoff from HWO, with the pilot using the call sign “N5545Z” (instead of “N8845Z”). After establishing radar contact with the airplane, the pilot was instructed to remain below 2,000 ft clear of Class B airspace. At 1248, when the airplane was southbound along Miami Beach about 1,200 ft, the pilot transmitted to Miami Approach: “Miami Approach…Mayday-Mayday-Mayday…54Z, uh
lost engine power …I don’t know where I am going to put this down but I’m going down right here”. The airplane then turned northbound and began losing altitude. When the airplane was about 500 ft, Miami Approach provided the wind speed and direction (180° at 3 knots) and asked the pilot if he had time to provide the number of souls on board and fuel, to which the pilot replied: “There’s three souls, there’s um a road right here…a little bridge, I’m going to make that, 54Z.” This was the last transmission from the pilot.
The airplane touched down on the Herman B. Fultz Bridge which passed over the Haulover Inlet. The bridge was about 1,257 feet long with a deck width of about 56 feet. The edges of the deck were equipped with sidewalks, railings, and streetlights. The bridge was configured with four traffic lanes (two Northbound and two Southbound) which were separated by a raised concrete median. The airplane struck two vehicles before coming to rest on the bridge. Examination of the bridge revealed that the airplane had touched down in a northbound direction with the left main landing gear tire and right main landing gear tire straddling the raised concrete median. It then struck a vehicle from behind on the northbound side, crossed over the median and struck another vehicle from the front which was traveling on the southbound side before it nosed over, and came to rest on the northbound side of the bridge, facing southbound. Measurements of the airplane’s ground path indicated that it traveled about 318 feet after striking the first vehicle until it came to rest.
Images of the airplane prior to touchdown indicated that the propeller was windmilling, the wing flaps were up, and there was no sign of smoke or fire.
After the airplane came to rest, a post-crash fire ensued, which consumed a majority of the cabin and fuselage. During a post-accident examination, the throttle control was found in the full forward position, the mixture control was full rich, and the carburetor heat control was closed. The primer was in and locked. The fuel selector valve handle was destroyed by the post impact fire. The position of the valve was between Both and Right. Thumb compression and suction were obtained on all cylinders, and spark was produced by both magnetos on all leads. All the bottom spark plugs were normal gray in color, and except for spark plugs No. 1, No. 3, and No. 5, which were oil fouled due to the position of the airplane when it came to rest in an inverted position, all the top spark plugs were normal gray in color.
The fuel strainer bowl contained a small amount of charred debris and was free of any corrosion. When disconnected from the carburetor a small amount of fuel was observed to flow from the line. The carburetor accelerator pump functioned normally, and the inlet screen was clean. The floats were submerged in water and did not exhibit any signs of leakage. There was a small amount of visible corrosion in the carburetor bowl. The oil filter contained some carbon deposits; the oil suction screen was clean.
The wing flap actuator when measured correlated to a flap ups (0°) position. The elevator trim actuator when measured correlated to a 10° trim tab up position. There was no evidence of an inflight fire, and flight control continuity was established from the rudder, elevator, and ailerons to the flight controls in the cockpit. Examination of the fuel providers facility did not reveal any evidence of fuel contamination, or any anomalies with the dispensing system. Additionally, all inspections were found to be up to date.
The wreckage was retained by the NTSB for further examination.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Cessna
Registration: N8845Z
Model/Series: 172H
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KOPF,4 ft msl
Observation Time: 12:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 9 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 30°C /20°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 4400 ft AGL
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 7 knots / , 170°
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.96 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Hollywood, FL (HWO)
Destination: Key West, FL (EYW)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 2 Serious
Aircraft Fire: On-ground
Ground Injuries: 5 Minor
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal, 2 Serious, 5 Minor
Latitude, Longitude: 25.900583,-80.124667
Aircraft experienced engine issues and landed on Route A1A on the Haulover Inlet Bridge and struck a vehicle.
Date: 14-MAY-22
Time: 17:04:00Z
Regis#: N5545Z
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 172
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: FATAL
Total Fatal: 1
Flight Crew: 1 fatal
Cabin Crew: 2 serious injuries
Ground: 3 minor injuries
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: EN ROUTE (ENR)
Operation: 91
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: SUBSTANTIAL
City: OPA-LOCKA
State: FLORIDA
Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation may contact them by email witness@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov. You can also call the NTSB Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290.
Airworthiness Date 1966-11-17
ReplyDeleteCONT MOTOR 0-300 SER (Reciprocating) Horsepower: 145
Flight Track:
Deletehttps://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ac2fd0&lat=25.930&lon=-80.204&zoom=11.5&showTrace=2022-05-14&leg=2&trackLabels
Thanks, that's a nice tracking site.
DeleteI'm very sorry someone died, but I have to admit it's a relief that it wasn't someone in the car. I understand you are trying to save your own life, but the pilot has the obligation not to take anyone else out in the process. Easier said than done from safe on the ground, of course.
ReplyDeleteDo not know the exact anything on this but maybe in the water instead of a busy roadway?
DeleteYes. That’s what I thought
DeleteWhen did it become okay as a pilot to risk people on the ground in an attempt to save yourself? I don't care that he had passengers, they aren't more important than innocent bystanders. He could have ditched almost anywhere in that area - instead, he lines up for a landing on a busy street in a major city.
ReplyDeleteI think I would have chosen the water instead of the bridge. I’ve flown in and around Florida before and where to land during loss of power has crossed my mind many times and I’ve just always thought if I was in an engine out situation I’d just pick the water. But, that’s easy for me to say sitting here in a comfy recliner as I type this. Prayers to all involved.
DeleteJust a question have any of you armchair pilots actually flown a plane or had to handle an emergency in one? You look for the best place to land aviate , navigate , communicate .
DeleteI dunno, when did it become okay as an automobile driver to risk people on the ground? About 1.3 million people die in car accidents worldwide every year, many of those from negligent drivers. How many innocent bystanders die from being hit by a plane annually on average? Definitely far less than 100. Put things in perspective before getting outraged about something that's far less likely to happen than being struck by lightning.
DeleteAround 7,000 US pedestrian deaths a year. "When did it become okay as a driver to risk people on the ground?"
DeleteEven the best pilot can make a poor decision at the last moment. He paid the ultimate price for his mistake. Don't condemn him - just learn from him.
Delete100% common SENSE and empathy. I have to agree. My condolenses to the family. RIP.
DeleteThe 'best place' for who, Flyboi, the pilot? From the flight path, he appears to have lined it up on A1A in Downtown Miami in Saturday traffic - ignoring the Intracostal Waterway & Atlantic Ocean 500' to either side of him. It's traight up selfishness putting innocents on the ground at risk, it's amazing no one on the ground was killed.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the bay was the far better choice. Knowing that it wasn’t the pilot’s airplane (neither owner onboard), I wonder if a misguided attempt to ‘not hurt the plane’ played into the poor head work. Very sorry to see such a tragedy and my heart breaks for the friends and family of the ATC who perished… especially with all of the video footage of the immediate aftermath.
ReplyDeleteEven the best pilot can make a poor decision at the last moment. My 13000 flight instructor tried to save his 152 after engine failure on TO by trying to turn back to his own grass strip, when he had acres of open land in front him. The suspected reason was that he didn't have insurance on the plane. So tragic.
DeleteMy feeling is that the Continental 0-300 is more susceptible to Carb Ice, especially on a humid Florida day...the Lycoming 0-320 in my Cherokee has the carb, induction system near the warm exhaust, and they almost never ice up...the 7 other airplanes we owned/operated were all fuel injected continentals, so we never had Ice problems....but the 0-300 i think has some history of getting Ice. With the fire and all they will never know, but I wonder if the Pilot knew to pull the carb heat, and if the airplane had a Carb Temp/heat gauge onboard. RIP
ReplyDeleteLet's pull up the METAR for 16:50Z crash time and see where air temp and dewpoint intercept in the carb icing chart:
DeleteMETAR:
KFLL 141650Z AUTO 10008KT 10SM CLR 30/21 A2995
Temp 30C=86F, dewpoint 21C=70F intercept point is subject to how you interpret the carb icing chart.
The aircraft climbed then flew at cruise power for almost 10 minutes after takeoff before the turnback, seems unlikely to have been residual ice that built up during taxi but not detected during the runup's carb heat check.
Carb Icing chart is on page 2 at:
https://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgSAIB.nsf/dc7bd4f27e5f107486257221005f069d/f319315cfc90c3f7862575e500439fa0/$FILE/CE-09-35.pdf
Archive AWOS/METAR is from:
https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/request/download.phtml?network=FL_ASOS
There have been many recent reports of planes landing on highways in Florida with good outcomes, that may be leading to why this person attempted the same. So as i goes quite a few lives have been saved using highways. But yes a busy bridge is not the best choice when a waterway is availible.
ReplyDeleteLandings on interstate highways have the advantage that traffic is moving at a speed more compatible with landing. The 30 MPH speed limit on Collins Avenue makes fitting in for landing difficult if traffic isn't light or a gap from a traffic signal cycle doesn't line up where you need it to be.
DeleteSeeing a gap ahead could figure into deciding the flap setting.
In a fixed gear aircraft especially, given a choice between the water and the road, I’m picking the road.
ReplyDeleteSad as this was, the pilot's two passengers got out of the plane under their own power and survived. Some high wing fixed gear ditchings have resulted in drownings. With lots of people swimming, surfing, boating and jetskiing in that area on a Saturday, it may have been necessary to stand off a distance from shore that would further imperil survival.
DeleteHaving to exit a back seat passenger might not be a common circumstance in known ditching examples, but this article about controlled ditching may be of interest:
Deletehttps://www.aviationsafetymagazine.com/features/the-myths-of-ditching/
Correct. I'd venture to say that over 90% of attempted road landings are safe, which he intuitively or actively knew. We all think about where to land in an emergency everytime we fly. Ditching in a fixed gear airplane will flip over in the water and likely drown your passengers. The violence of the action, disorientation, and trying to get out of the plane from the back seats is a 50/50, I'd guess. He made the right call. He didn't give himself much of an out at that low altitude; ground is coming up fast.
DeleteAs a 14000 hour 4 time ATP with plenty of off field landings in a glider.
DeleteThe water was the right choice. Don't believe me .. try this on for size .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXEg1E6-ogs .. HE chose poorly.
More of Paul and water / beach landings .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LwGYBBhTss
Delete18% of all ditchings are fatal (less fatals happen close to land), but also 18% of all off-airport landings are also fatal. Given the choice of burning to death or drowning, sorry I'd take drowning.
DeleteHard to judge, don't know if they were all good swimmers. The trip was to the Keys. If one of them was not a good swimmer and greatly feared drowning, there probably would have been discussion before the trip about making every effort to land on a roadway vs. water ditching.
DeleteRegarding the head on collision, notice the damage/no damage patterns on the Cessna by looking at the still photos before the fire got very far and the stop frame view at 0:13 seconds in the boat zone video that is on YT:
ReplyDelete- Prop spinner pointy, not crushed
- Prop blades straight
- Nose gear okay, wheel pant still on
- Starboard side main gear okay, wheel pant still on
- Port side main gear definitely missing at 00:13 in video
- Both wings still on, both struts still in place
- Tail and rear fuselage folded to Port side of aircraft
It appears that Port side landing gear contact did all of that damage to the car. Port side main gear getting held back at impact with the car yaw-rotated and pitched the aircraft, overloading the rear fuselage from the combined forces of the vertical stabilizer's air resistance to suddenly moving sideways and horizontal stabilizer air resistance to forward pitchpoling.
The Port side main gear being what appears to have contacted the car suggests that the aircraft may have simply drifted left in the final moments of controlled flight due to the 100°, 8 knot wind reported by the KFLL METAR at the time and evident in the video and photos.
From the dashcam image, you can see the plane approached with zero flaps. That was a huge mistake as that will noticeably increase your landing speed and your impact forces which go up as a square of your speed. You are also going to float much longer and be more nose high, which makes it hard to see and avoid vehicles and objects in your emergency landing zone.
ReplyDeleteThe 172 POH emergency checklist recommends flaps full. I wonder if the pilot missed any other checklist items like fuel shutoff, mags off, and master off (after flaps full if they are electric). Those items can dramatically decrease the risk of fire after a collision.
All pilots need to DRILL DRILL DRILL these memory items frequently so they become like second nature in an emergency.
This, you are so correct that every pilot needs to DRILL this over and over. I myself have gotten lax over the years
DeleteI hit post before I was finished, but what I meant to say is. Not anymore, I'm going to make a conscious effort to start practicing emergency procedures regularly. After watching the video of the aftermath of this crash, it was heart breaking seeing people trying to get to the victim. But were unable to because of the intense fire. May God bless the family of the person who passed away.
DeleteGet off your high horse/out of your recliner and think critically. Dropping the flaps would result in a slower touchdown with less forces… but also reduces gliding distance. If the area prior to touchdown was unsuitable, that would explain an omission of flaps. So would the battery being drained, but IIRC the nav lights may have been on.
DeleteEvery Skyhawk pilot knows the procedure is to drop full flaps once your landing site has been made and it won't affect your glide. In any case, it makes no sense that he would want to extend his glide to the narrow mid-point hump of the bridge versus the more favorable wider section of road earlier in his flight path. And it was only two minutes between engine failure and crash, no way the battery drained that quickly unless it was also defective in addition to the engine.
DeleteLook at the example street view image below and think about needing to hit a gap in traffic. Can't say in that example of traffic on the bridge that it makes no sense that he would want to extend his glide to the narrow mid-point hump of the bridge to drop into the gap just past the red truck.
Deletehttps://goo.gl/maps/TQU2AFxdt59v6XZu8
Not to pile on here, but it looks like the pilot was only at 1000 AGL for his flight down the coast. Sure, it's legal and is a little better for sightseeing, but it also gives you VERY little time and VERY few options to deal with any engine troubles. Also, assuming the ground speed matched IAS (which it probably did since the winds were likely from the east), it looks like the pilot was flying at least 14-15 knots faster than 68 knot best glide speed, which again is going to reduce your ability to glide to safe landing spots as well as the time you have available to deal with issues and find a good spot before hitting the ground. It looks like the pilot had less than 2 minutes from engine failure to crash at the speed and altitude he chose.
ReplyDeleteI always try to fly a minimum of 2000 AGL no matter what, and higher if there are no good landing options around. The view from 3000 AGL is still great!
I don't have the Miami sectional in front of me, but I believe MIA's Bravo is at 1500'-7000' there. No way you're getting a 172 to climb to 7,000 feet from North Perry.
DeleteTrue, but just a bit to the east, the bravo starts at 3,000. Also, it never hurts to ask for clearance into the bravo. The pilot was a controller, so maybe one of his buddies would do him a solid if traffic allowed it.
DeletePerhaps I'm misunderstanding you, but why would you be ever denied (not delayed) VFR entry in Class B if properly euipped? I have done that many times around KPHX for transitions as well as landing at airports under the veil and never had a problem. Is KMIA busier? What does doing "a solid" mean?
DeleteIf the B is super busy or the pilot sucks on the radio, you may very well be denied entry into Class B.
DeleteIt's interesting you mentioned KPHX in particular, because the KPHX TRACON had a long standing policy of denying both flight following and clearance into the Bravo for VFR aircraft because they didn't want the extra workload. This was called out in this accident analysis https://youtu.be/BXr3xr4rj98?list=PLCC59953860B62145&t=249
DeleteMaybe things have changed since then, but it's certainly the case at other Bravos.
My experience iin KPHX was between 2010 and 2014.
DeleteThanks for the link.
People do this all the time, myself included. Landing in the water parallel to the beach is much safer than any set of trees, or even worse, the everglades. Also the air traffic at Miami is stupid busy, you only get a clearence if you are 2500 ft above OPF and MIA. This is a scenic route meant to be flown low altitude.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, I’ve commonly flown this same route southbound to the Keys, it’s both a scenic flight and for traffic/airspace purposes.
Deleteso close so sad. he almost made a safe landing. he was between north bound cars he should have slammed the wheels down and locked up the breaks. but he kept gliding and somehow got head on into the south bound traffic. a rear end collision with on going traffic would be softer. better yet he should have gone in the ocean. the beach is to dangerous with all those tourists covered with oil boiling shrimp on the beach. but a beach landing is just as easy as any airport.
ReplyDeleteIt's clear you aren't a pilot. "slammed the wheels down and locked up the brakes?" Really? "...but he kept on gliding..." He "kept on gliding" because the wing was still flying. Aeronautics 101. Slamming the wheels down would only result in porpoising and likely killing everyone on board.
Deletei dont know much about motors im just a glider pilot
DeleteBest option was the golf course to the west. Why did the pilot no go for it?
ReplyDeleteDepending on how the power loss progressed, he may have started the turn back for a problem initially noticed as a change in sound from the engine or by instrument indication that rapidly turned into engine completely out. Passenger statements to investigators will provide insight.
Deletegolf course was definitely good he was within gliding distance. but it was smaller than a long strait stretch of highway sitting right below him and not easy to bring it in his scan with all his attention elsewhere. and it would take a great deal of precision to dead stick it on there. only get one chance.
DeleteBeing the PIC of T337D, with three passengers and surviving an off field landing where the choices were a highway in the Baja, the drink or the desert complete with giant boulders and twenty foot tall Socorro Cactus'...I chose....The desert! Didn't even break a fingernail. It was Very exciting ....
ReplyDeleteArmchair pilot here - I wasn't there to be making decisions - but why the U-turn back to the north? It appears the pilot lost almost 500' of altitude making that turn. Starting from 1200', that's a huge loss. With only about a 10-degree turn right, he could have aimed for the La Gorce Country Club, which appears to have enough open ground, reasonably straight, to attempt a full-flaps landing. Opinions, anyone?
ReplyDeleteInteresting to evaluate. What glideslope angle, though? Working from the 1200' altitude point before the turn while still abeam of 81st street, the travel distance to La Gorce Country Club is 1.8 statute miles (9500 feet).
DeletePercent slope = 1200/9500 X 100 = 12.6°. Kinda steep for a straight in, could be done if proficient at doing a slip or if a turn was added to bleed altitude and come in from the Biscayne Bay side to get aligned into the 100°, 8 knot wind reported by the KFLL METAR at the time before trying out the fairways.
12.6 percent slope converts to 7.2 degrees.
Deleteif your a pretty good glider pilot the golf course was doable. but that long straight highway was right below him looking like a runway. you only get one shot from that low altitude first choice is only choice you cant switch.
DeleteProbably primacy. It's where he came from so his instinct was to return in that direction.
DeletePreliminary is out. Fuel selector was between Both and Right. All else looked normal. Small amount of fuel flowed out when fuel line was disconnected from carb. Does the fuel stop flowing (or reduce flow) when the selector is between detents? This looks like the issue.
ReplyDeleteUnlike some fuel selectors that have a fuel passageway through a rotating element, this s/n 17255495 C172's selector valve would be the P/N 0513120-8 design that uses a rotating cam lobe on the stem to manipulate spring loaded balls on left and right ports arranged 180 degrees from each other (opposite), inside the valve.
DeleteIn the "both" position, the off-center cam presents a minimum cam lobe offset between the two balls as they ride against the cam and the springs push both balls off seat, opening flow from both ports.
In the "Right" position, the ball associated with the inlet from the right tank rides the minimum cam lobe offset, while the ball at the left tank inlet port rides the maximum cam lobe offset, fully closing off that port.
It follows that a stem position between "Both" and "Right" has the right inlet ball experiencing minimum cam lobe offset (fully open) and leaves the left inlet ball partially open, since the cam lobe offset it is riding is not at maximum until the stem rotation reaches the "Right" detent.
The as found selector position provided a fully open flow path from right tank + a partially open path from the left tank.
Example image of the stem type, showing the offset cam:
https://www.cessnaflyer.org/images/0200_MC0513123---mas.jpg
So he was flying into the wind over a wide flat beach and surf and lost power so turned inland and landed downwind without flaps on a narrow busy street/bridge . . . exactly what I would have done.
ReplyDelete