19970419006059A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Amtr Merlin · Fort Myers, FL · April 19, 1997

Date: April 19, 1997 · 12:00 local
Place: Fort Myers, FL
Airport: Pine Shadows Airpark Airport
Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N2100S
NTSB investigation: NTSBMIA97LA141
Reported as: Amtr Merlin
Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX582
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Pilot’s flight hours: 7,000 total100 in the last 90 days

N2100SRegistration cancelled Sep 20, 1997 · Young Stephen MERLIN GTS/N 94014 Airframe modelYoung Stephen MERLIN GT

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Stalled and spun in on climbout. Undepowered on floats and two person on board. Also open door drag. Pilot unaware. (-23) based on gathered evidence and the passenger's testimony, strongly suggest that the aircraft crashed as a result of a departure stall/spin. A post-accident engine run test conducted on may 5, 1997, showed that the engine was operating normally. A telephone interview on may 7, 1997, with the passenger revealed that the aircraft stalled and spun to the left during its departure climb from Pine shadowes air park's runway 9 intersection. The passenger also stated that the climb was slow and shallow until reaching approximately 200 feet of elevation, at which time he noticed the pilot attempting to increase engine power by operating the throttles back and forth, but to no avail. Subsequently, the left wing and nose dipped straight down and crashed straight down.

As the FAA filed it

STALLED AND SPUN IN ON CLIMBOUT. UNDEPOWERED ON FLOATS AND TWO PERSON ON BOARD. ALSO OPEN DOOR DRAG. PILOT UNAWARE. (-23) BASED ON GATHERED EVIDENCE AND THE PASSENGER'S TESTIMONY, STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED AS A RESULT OF A DEPARTURE STALL/SPIN. A POST-ACCIDENT ENGINE RUN TEST CONDUCTED ON MAY 5, 1997, SHOWED THAT THE ENGINE WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW ON MAY 7, 1997, WITH THE PASSENGER REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND SPUN TO THE LEFT DURING ITS DEPARTURE CLIMB FROM PINE SHADOWES AIR PARK'S RUNWAY 9 INTERSECTION. THE PASSENGER ALSO STATED THAT THE CLIMB WAS SLOW AND SHALLOW UNTIL REACHING APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET OF ELEVATION, AT WHICH TIME HE NOTICED THE PILOT ATTEMPTING TO INCREASE ENGINE POWER BY OPERATING THE THROTTLES BACK AND FORTH, BUT TO NO AVAIL. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE LEFT WING AND NOSE DIPPED STRAIGHT DOWN AND CRASHED STRAIGHT DOWN.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB MIA97LA141Accident · 1 fatalLimited investigationFinal reportFort Myers, FLthe pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during the initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and subsequent collision with the terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot's failure to use all available runway, and…Apr 19, 1997 · Destroyed