# NTSB CEN12LA187: Brice Ron Glastar Sportsman 2+, N627RM, Kimberling, MO, March 13, 2012 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: March 13, 2012, 14:26 local (19:26 UTC) - Place: Kimberling, MO - Coordinates: 36.605834, -93.440002 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.6058&lon=-93.4400&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report February 12, 2013 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 83127 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN12LA187 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/83127/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=83127 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12LA187 ## Probable cause The pilot’s inadequate flare, which resulted in the airplane impacting into the water. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Action: incorrect action performance](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Brice Ron GLASTAR SPORTSMAN 2+, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md?model=05622RP), [All aircraft, 1,386 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: landing flare](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062041): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Incorrect use/operation (probable cause); cases with it: [Brice Ron GLASTAR SPORTSMAN 2+, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062041/cases.md?model=05622RP), [All aircraft, 1,285 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062041/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092) (defining event); cases with it: [Brice Ron GLASTAR SPORTSMAN 2+, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md?model=05622RP), [All aircraft, 2,102 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md) ## Analysis The float-equipped airplane was observed flying low over the lake before it made an attempt to land on the water. Witnesses said the engine was operating normally but that the airplane never leveled off before it touched down. The airplane impacted the water, cart-wheeled, and came to rest inverted. Examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear was in the fully retracted position, consistent with a water landing configuration. Examination of the airplane revealed there were no mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. ## Factual narrative On March 13, 2012, approximately 1426 central daylight time, N627RM, an experimental Ron Brice Glastar Sportsman 2+ equipped with amphibian floats, was substantially damaged during landing on Tablerock Lake near Kimberling, Missouri. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to a private company and operated by the pilot. No flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Kimberling Airport (M064), Kimberling, Missouri, approximately 1415. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Several witnesses observed the airplane as it approached Tablerock Lake. One witness said he was crossing the Kimberling City bridge when he saw the airplane headed west to east. The airplane was about 200 feet above the water and it was making a gradual descent as if to land. The witness said that the airplane did not level off as it got closer to the water. He said that when the airplane touched down there was a "big ball" of water in the air and he knew the airplane had crashed. A second witness was boating on the lake when she first observed the airplane flying east toward the bridge. She did not recognize the airplane and thought he must be a new pilot because he was flying so low and nearly hit the bridge. The witness continued to watch the airplane as it appeared to be approaching the lake to land. She said, "Rather than a normal seaplane landing, what I saw was the plane hit the water and flip. There was so much spray that I could not tell if the plane flipped more than once." A third witness observed the airplane flying eastbound toward the bridge and was "under power with no sign of motor trouble." The airplane was low and had to gain altitude to fly over the bridge before it began a descent toward the lake. The airplane disappeared from his view, but he did hear the engine "throttle back" as if to land. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector performed an on-scene examination of the airplane once it was removed from the water. According to the inspector, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The propeller, tip of the vertical stabilizer and the forward section of the left float were also damaged. The landing gear extension handle was found in the retracted position and the flaps were extended. Flight control continuity was established for all major flight controls. The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate in addition to a flight engineer certificate. He was rated for rotorcraft-helicopter, airplane single and multi-engine land and sea, and instrument airplane. Plus, he was a certified flight instructor for airplane single and multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. His last FAA Third Class medical was issued on April 2, 2010. According to the FAA, the pilot had accrued a total of 25,757 hours. Toxicological testing conducted by the FAA Toxicology Accident Research Laboratory,Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed 546 (mg/dL, mg/hg) of Methanol detected in the blood; 157 (mg/dL, mg/hg) of Methanol detected in vitreous fluid, and 96 (mg/dL, mg/hg) of Methanol detected in the spinal fluid. The positive methanol findings were due to the pilot being embalmed after the accident. An external autopsy was conducted on the pilot by Southwest Missouri Forensics, Nixa, Missouri, on March 15, 2012. According to the Certificate of Death issued by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the pilot died from asphyxiation due to drowning. Weather at Branson Airport (BBG), Branson, Missouri, about 13 miles east of Tablerock Lake, at 1445, was reported as wind from 180 degrees at 9 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 27 degrees Celsius, dewpoint 5 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 30.05 inches Hg. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N627RM](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N627RM-2018-01-12), registration cancelled 2018-01-12, S/N 7150, built 2008 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BRICE RON GLASTAR SPORTSMAN 2+ - Registry model: [Brice Ron GLASTAR SPORTSMAN 2+](https://openairdocs.org/model/brice-ron-glastar-sportsman-2-plus) (registry code 05622RP) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming IO-390 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-390-series) (registry code 41678, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 7150 - Airframe hours: 133 - Engines: LYCOMING IO-360-X 210 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Signs Of Life - Registered owner: Signs Of Life - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Condition, June 30, 2011 - Departed: MO64, Kimberling, MO - Destination: MO64, Kimberling, MO - Flight plan: Unknown - Airport: None ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 72; injuries: fatal; flight engineer, airline transport, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, multi-engine land, single-engine land, multi-engine sea; instrument ratings: helicopter, airplane; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 25,757 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 180° at 9 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 81 °F, dew point 41 °F - Altimeter: 30.04 inHg - Observed at: BBG, 13 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20120313003469A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120313003469A), Mar 13, 2012: Brice Ron GLASTAR SPORTSMAN 2+, Kimberling City, MO, Substantial damage, 1 fatal. The accident occurred on table rock lake about ½ mile east of the state route 13 bridge at Kimberling City, Missouri. Pilot departed Kimberling airways airport… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 18, 2012, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=83127. 1.2 MB in all. - Witness Statements (item 1, .PDF, 1.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40383020&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Witness%20Statements-Redacted.PDF - FAA Written Statement (item 2, .PDF, 13 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40380280&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Written%20Statement-Master.PDF - Toxicological Report (item 3, .PDF, 127 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40380283&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicological%20Report-Master.PDF 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. --- 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.