One dead, one injured after Cessna overturns west of Everglades City; 911 call released

A passenger died and another person was injured after a small private plane overturned and was found partially submerged in waters west of Everglades City, authorities said. Collier County released the incident report and 911 call recordings on Feb. 19, following the crash of a 1981 Cessna A185 with tail number N7574N in the Ten Thousand Islands near the Port of the Islands resort.

Two people were aboard the aircraft on the Sunday crash, law enforcement and emergency crews said. The deceased passenger was identified in local reporting as Ryan Cody, a Naples man described by community members as a church business manager and youth group volunteer. Rescuers recovered the aircraft and removed it to Goodland Boat Park on Marco Island for examination.

Emergency responders including the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, fire and EMS crews, and the CCSO aviation unit conducted search and rescue efforts. A report indicates "a witness held the crash passenger above water as other rescuers arrived and airlifted him to hospital." It is not clear from the released records whether the person who was airlifted is the same individual later identified as the fatality; authorities have not released a complete timeline tying rescue actions to later medical outcomes.

The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into the accident, characterizing the aircraft as overturned and partially submerged and saying the crash occurred under unknown circumstances. An investigator named Sulick said, "Investigations involve three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment. Investigators will gather flight track data; recordings of any air traffic control communications; aircraft maintenance records; weather forecasts and actual weather and lighting conditions around the time of the accident; and the pilot's license, ratings and flight experience."

Records reported in public filings show the plane had flown a roundtrip between Marco Island Executive Airport and Bartow Executive Airport on Feb. 12, with each leg lasting just over an hour. National Weather Service meteorologist Will Redman said "winds reported around the time of the incident were about 15 mph out of the south." Investigators will examine those conditions along with technical and human factors.

Public filings and corporate records tied to the aircraft show conflicting ownership information. State corporate records describe Black Dog Holdings as registered to Sean Johnson and Libby Johnson in Fort Lauderdale and listed as inactive as of 2005, while other aircraft records list Black Dog Holding, Inc. in Pleasant Valley, New York. Authorities have cited tail number N7574N in their materials but have not provided final clarification on current ownership in the records released so far.

The release of the 911 call and the incident report gives residents and regulators a window into the immediate response and will inform the NTSB docket. The investigation will determine causal factors and whether regulatory, maintenance, or operational gaps contributed to the crash of the 45-year-old airframe. Families and the Naples community have begun gathering, with a vigil announced in local notices, as officials continue to compile evidence and complete interviews.