A Cessna seaplane that was involved in a fatal crash in Everglades City in February had been involved in another significant crash a little over four years prior, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report.
On Sept. 6, 2021, the Cessna A185F, identified as N7574N, made an emergency landing in a corn field in Kingsley, Iowa, after the pilot reported a total loss of power.
A craft with the same N7574N registration number and the same serial number crashed into water near Everglades City on Feb. 15 this year and is the subject of a recently submitted aviation investigation preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
In the 2021 crash, a report from the NTSB said the craft sustained substantial damage but the pilot and passenger suffered no injuries.
The NTSB determined the probable cause of the crash was the total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of an unsecured fuel bladder, which reduced the fuel capacity of the affected tank.
In that crash, the NTSB said the pilot reported adding what he thought was sufficient fuel before departing on a cross-country flight. While in flight, about 2.5 hours after departure, the total loss of engine power occurred. The pilot was unable to restart the engine, and he executed a forced landing in a corn field, which caused substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing.
The pilots were different in each of the crashes. Peter Goeken of South Dakota was the pilot during the 2021 crash while William Goodrich was listed as pilot for the most recent incident.
The 2026 report outlines the route of the craft from takeoff to its crash into water and describes the activity as a personal flight. In the Collier County crash, the preliminary NTSB report said the Cessna A185F sustained substantial damage, the pilot was seriously injured, and a passenger was fatally injured.
The report said preliminary data showed the airplane departed from Marco Island Executive Airport on Marco Island at 11:16 a.m. and flew southeast toward the coastline.
The airplane followed the coastline and the craft performed multiple turns until it reached Pavilion Key, Florida.
The NTSB report said that after flying over Pavilion Key, the airplane turned northwest and proceeded back up the coastline. About five miles west of Everglades City, the airplane made multiple low altitude maneuvers while flying over the Ten Thousand Islands portion of Everglades National Park.
The report said the airplane was located in the Ten Thousand Islands portion of Everglades National Park upside down in the water shortly before noon.
No other data was supplied in the preliminary NTSB report on the Feb. 15 crash. A complete and final report is not yet available.
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