DFW07CA068

NTSB accident investigation · Fortuna Sonex · Atlanta, TX · February 10, 2007

Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
February 10, 2007, 13:15 local (19:15 UTC)
Place
Atlanta, TX
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Approach
Aircraft
N229PFortuna Sonex
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report May 29, 2007
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
Dallas, Texas
FAA report
20070210001589A
Case key
65285

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed that resulted in a stall/mush. A contributing factor was the group of trees located near the departure end of the runway.

Sequence of events

NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.

Loss of control - in flightGo-around (vfr)
Object - tree(s)Factor
Maneuver to avoid obstructions - initiatedPilot in command
Airspeed - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Stall/mush - encounteredPilot in commandCause
In flight collision with objectDescent - uncontrolled
Object - tree(s)

Analysis

The airplane stalled and collided with trees while maneuvering to avoid trees during a go-around. The pilot reported that while practicing takeoff and landings on runway 33, he determined that he was too high on the approach and initiated a go-around. The pilot concluded that his 80-horsepower homebuilt airplane was not going to be able to clear the trees at the departure end of the 2,463-foot long, by 150-foot wide turf runway, so he turned the airplane 45-degrees to the left to avoid the trees. The pilot added that while maneuvering, the airplane stalled and collided with trees located about 100 yards west of the runway 33. The airplane came to rest in the inverted position at the base of the trees, resulting in structural damage to the wings and the fuselage. The canopy was also damaged. There was no fire. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the accident site noted that runway 15/33 is not annotated on the airport diagram thus there was no information about the obstructions present at either end of the runway.

Factual narrative

The 275-hour private pilot, who reported having accumulated a total of 2.5 hours in the same make and model, reported that while practicing takeoff and landings on runway 33, he determined that he was too high on the approach and initiated a go-around. The pilot concluded that his 80-horsepower homebuilt airplane was not going to be able to clear the trees at the departure end of the 2,463-foot long, by 150-foot wide turf runway, so he turned the airplane 45-degrees to the left to avoid the trees. The pilot added that while maneuvering, the airplane stalled and collided with trees located about 100 yards west of the runway 33. The airplane came to rest in the inverted position at the base of the trees, resulting in structural damage to the wings and the fuselage. The canopy was also damaged. There was no fire. The pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was able to egress the airplane without injury. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that responded to the accident site noted that runway 15/33 is not annotated on the airport diagram thus there was no information about the obstructions present at either end of the runway. The weather reported at a nearby airport at the time of the accident was wind from 060 degrees at 3 knots, clear skies, and 10 miles visibility.

Aircraft

Registration
N229P
Reported as
Fortuna Sonex
Category
Airplane, amateur-built
Serial number
018
Airframe hours
579
Engine
Jabiru 2200, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Charles E. Walton
Registered owner
Charles E. Walton
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Experimental (Special)
Last inspection
Annual · October 1, 2006
Departed
KATA · Atlanta, TX
Destination
KATA
Airport
KATA · Hall-Miller Municipal, runway 33, 2,463 × 150 ft, grass/turf

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
69
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
February 1, 2007
Seat
Left
Flight hours
275 total · 2 in this make and model · 210 as pilot in command

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
60° at 3 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
37 °F, dew point 27 °F
Altimeter
30.29 inHg
Observed at
KTXK, 23 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.

Other investigations on N229P · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.