Cessna 172S N967SP accident near Goodland, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control due to spatial disorientation. Contributing to the accident was the night light conditions.

NTSB analysis

The pilot departed at night in visual meteorological conditions to work on night recurrence training and was flying in an area over water with limited visual references. Witnesses near the accident site reported hearing the sound of an airplane engine that increased in rpm. Some witnesses observed the airplane in a "nose-dive" toward the water. The airplane crashed into about 5 feet of water on a tidal mud-flat, about 16 miles south-southeast of the departure airport. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions or anomalies. The pilot had accumulated about 820 hours of total flight experience and had flown about 20 hours during the 2 years preceding the accident. He did not possess an instrument rating. A law enforcement helicopter pilot who responded to the accident site reported that it was very dark and believed that lack of visual cues with the naked eye would have required navigation via aircraft instrumentation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA09FA092 for the full record.