# Accident 19990414003519A: Amtr AVIDFLYER, Sebring, FL, April 14, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 14, 1999
- Place: Sebring, FL
- Airport: Sebring Regional Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 27.4897° N, 81.4505° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.4897&lon=-81.4505&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9224T, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9224T-1999-09-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Zemp Adrian AVID CATALINA (registry code 05601MU, https://openairdocs.org/model/zemp-adrian-avid-catalina) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR AVIDFLYER
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA99LA130](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA99LA130) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990414003519A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ACFT STRUCK A BIRD AND WENT DOWN IN A FIELD, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (.19) ON APRIL 14, 1999, ABOUT 1700 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL ZEMP AVID CATALINA, N9224T, REGISTERED TO MICROLITE JET ENGINES, INC., OPERATING AS A 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT, CRASHED FOLLOWING A SUSPECTED BIRD STRIKE NEAR SEBRING, FLORIDA. THE ULTRALIGHT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED, AND THE PRIVATE-RATED PILOT AND A PASSENGER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM SEBRING REGIONAL AIRPORT ABOUT 1 HOUR BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT'S STATEMENT TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION INSPECTOR, THE FLIGHT WAS AT 1,000 FEET AGL, IN CRUISE, WHEN THE PILOT HEARD A "BANG", AND SOMETHING SHEARED ALL THREE COMPOSITE PROPELLER BLADES ABOUT 10 INCHES FROM THE HUB. THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING TO AN OLD ORANGE GROVE. (-23)DURING CRUISE AT APPROXIMATELY 1000 FEET AGL THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD BANG AROUND THE (PUSH-TYPE) ENGINE AND NOTICED ALL THREE PROPELLER BLADES WERE DAMAGED AND CUT-OFF APPROXIMATELY 10 INCHES FROM THE HUB.  RESULTING IN A CRASH LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD.  PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER RECEIVED VERY MIN                                                            OR INJURIES. ON THE DATE OF ACCIDENT THE PILOT ALLEGED THE PROPELLER BLADES WERE DAMAGED BY A BIRDSTRIKE OR UNKNOWN OBJECT.  ON APRIL 29, 1999, THE PILOT CONTACTED ME FROM ZATTEL, SWITZERLAND, AFFIRMING THAT IT WAS THE ENIGNE'S LEFT EXHAUST PIPE THAT BROKE OFF AND STRUCK THE BLADES.  THE PILOT IS WILLING TO SUBMIT AN M OR D REPORT UPON RECEIPT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB MIA99LA130](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA99LA130), Apr 14, 1999: Zemp Avid Catalina (N9224T), Sebring, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The in-flight separation of one of the propeller blade's and one of the engine's exhaust pipes causing the engine to vibrate until it stopped running. A related factor was the unsuitable terrain for…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.