- 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.
On this page
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.
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.