Cessna 172F N5200F

Summary

On 2 June 2025 at about 00:24 local time, a Cessna 172F registered N5200F was involved in an accident near Vero Beach, Florida, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 June 2025 at 00:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Vero Beach, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Vero Beach (VRB)

Coordinates

27.6552, -80.3183

Aircraft

Cessna 172F

Registration

N5200F

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Pierce → Vero Beach

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ERA25LA216

3 people had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and two passengers were on a multi-leg cross-country flight under instrument flight rules. After refueling the airplane fully, they departed on the accident flight and flew to an intermediate airport where the pilot performed a practice instrument approach. After landing the airplane and departing again, they flew toward the destination airport, where the pilot planned to perform another practice instrument approach. About 1-mile from the final approach fix, and while flying over the ocean, the airplane’s engine suddenly lost power. The pilot had his passenger inform air traffic control of the emergency before ditching the airplane into the water about 5 miles offshore. All three occupants incurred minor injuries and were rescued after the accident. The airplane was not recovered and presumed substantially damaged. Review of ADS-B data for the flight revealed that the airplane had been aloft for less than 2.5 hours since last being fueled to its full capacity of 38 gallons. According to the airplane’s Pilot Operating Handbook, at cruise power settings the airplane’s estimated consumption ranged from 8.0 to 9.0 gallons per hour. Accounting for fuel consumed during taxi, takeoff, climb, and descent, the total fuel consumption for the flight was estimated to be between 20 and 23 gallons. This suggests that about 15 to 18 gallons of usable fuel remained at the time of the accident. The weather conditions reported at the destination airport included a calculated relative humidity of 40% percent. Review of the icing probability chart contained within Federal Aviation Administration Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 revealed the atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power. Because the airplane was not recovered, and the wreckage could not be examined, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.