Plane goes down with NO FUEL outside Melbourne Florida

The Return to Melbourne

On December 26, 2024, a Beechcraft 76 Duchess, N76NN, was involved in an accident near Melbourne, Florida. The aircraft had been operating from Melbourne Orlando International Airport and was attempting to return toward the airport when the flight ended away from the runway.

The Aircraft Came Down Near I-95

Emergency crews were dispatched after reports of an aircraft down near Interstate 95 and West Eau Gallie Boulevard. The aircraft was found upright in the parking area of Renninger's Flea and Farmers Market. A high-tension power line had also been brought down and stretched across an entrance ramp to southbound I-95.

The incident account associated with the flight describes the aircraft as having run out of fuel while outside Melbourne. The aircraft was attempting to return to the airport, but the return ended before it reached the runway environment. The final impact involved the parking area rather than the airport itself.

What the Accident Database Records

The Aviation Safety Network lists N76NN as a Beechcraft 76 operated by Melbourne Flight Training LLC and records the event on December 26 near Melbourne Orlando International Airport. The database records no fatalities. The event was classified as a substantial-damage accident.

Local emergency responders had to deal with more than the aircraft. The downed high-tension power line created a separate hazard in the parking area and across the nearby interstate entrance ramp. Police and fire crews therefore had to secure the crash site and the surrounding road environment.

The aircraft had been attempting to return to Melbourne Orlando International Airport. The incident description associated with the flight identifies fuel exhaustion as the central emergency, while local reporting described the aircraft as making an emergency landing after attempting the return.

The accident database classifies the event as substantial damage. A final investigative conclusion is not added where the preliminary material does not establish one.

The local emergency response also had to account for the power line hazard. The line was down in the same area where the aircraft came to rest, creating an additional risk to responders and road users.

The accident happened close enough to the airport that the pilot was attempting a return, but the aircraft did not reach the runway. The combination of the fuel emergency, the return attempt, the power-line hazard and the parking-lot impact defined the response.

The aircraft was located right side up in the parking lot

“Thursday night, the Melbourne Fire Department, along with the Melbourne Police Department, were dispatched to the area of 1-95 and West Eau Gallie Boulevard for a reported aircraft down.”

Accident facts

Chronology of the event

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