- Date
- October 8, 2021, 19:11 local (Oct 9, 2021, 00:11 UTC)
- Place
- Horseshoe Bay, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N70TZZuber Thomas P Zuber Super Drifter
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20211008017439A
- Case key
- 104117
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to adequately monitor airspeed during a low-level turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with the water.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he was overflying a lake when he noticed something floating on the water and turned the airplane around to get a better look. During the turn at low altitude, the airspeed diminished, and the airplane’s wing stalled. The airplane descended and impacted the water nosing over and coming to rest inverted. The airplane’s fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N70TZ
- Reported as
- Zuber Thomas P Zuber Super Drifter
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- LA1022
- Built
- 2003
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Departed
- 44TE · Kingsland, TX
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KDZB, 2 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KDZB 090055Z AUTO 16004KT 10SM CLR 25/14 A3002 RMK AO2 T02540141=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 5, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 573 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.