N69786

On May 21, 1995, at 2130 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 310Q, N69786, registered to Air Southwest Florida Corp., of Punta Gorda, Florida, crashed at sea, off the coast of Portugal. The pilot, the sole occupant, was missing and presumed to have received fatal injuries in crash. The airplane has not been located, but searchers found safety and floatation equipment identified to be from N69786. The search has been suspended. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a ferry flight. The flight had departed Gander, New Foundland at an unknown time, with the final destination Vienna, Austria.

According to the Portuguese Civil Aviation Administration (CAA), the pilot reported having no fuel, and both engines had stopped. The position of the crash was 37 NM west of the MTL non- directional beacon (NDB). According to international charts, MTL is the identifier for the Monte Real NDB, located 60 miles north of Lisbon, Portugal.

A fax dated July 6, 1995, from the Director of Portuguese Civil Aviation Administration, "confirmed the loss of N69786." According to the Director's fax:

"N69786 disappeared with the pilot...37 nm west of the Portuguese coast line. The aircraft was under positive radar control until a few seconds before [impact with the] sea. [The] pilot reported both engines quit and he had the sea insight. Apparently no fuel on board...."

The reported winds at the time of the accident were from 310 degrees at 60 knots, and the seas were rough.