# NTSB ERA10LA085: Tail Feather Sea Rey, N969TF, Sanibel Island, FL, November 29, 2009 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: November 29, 2009, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC) - Place: Sanibel Island, FL - Coordinates: 26.448888, -82.022224 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.4489&lon=-82.0222&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Aerodynamic stall/spin](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report January 7, 2011 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FSDO/FAA - NTSB case key (mKey): 75111 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA10LA085 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/75111/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=75111 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA10LA085 ## Probable cause The pilot’s failure to add power during a low-level turn, which resulted in a loss of airspeed and a subsequent stall. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Use of equip/info: use of available resources](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063035): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Tail Feather SEAREY, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063035/cases.md?model=05612GQ), [All aircraft, 41 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063035/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: powerplant parameters](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062050): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Incorrect use/operation (probable cause); cases with it: [Tail Feather SEAREY, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062050/cases.md?model=05612GQ), [All aircraft, 81 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062050/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: airspeed](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062010): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained; cases with it: [Tail Feather SEAREY, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062010/cases.md?model=05612GQ), [All aircraft, 1,681 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062010/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Aerodynamic stall/spin](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241) (defining event); cases with it: [Tail Feather SEAREY, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241/sequence.md?model=05612GQ), [All aircraft, 1,529 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241/sequence.md) - [Uncontrolled descent: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Tail Feather SEAREY, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=05612GQ), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot was flying about 100 feet above the surface of the water, 300 to 400 feet offshore. As he entered a 180-degree turn he forgot to add power and the airplane lost 70 feet of altitude. The pilot then completed the turn about 30 feet above the water and at 40 miles per hour airspeed, and felt that “adding power did not seem appropriate” as he was “heading toward the beach with people everywhere.” The pilot then elected to allow the airplane to stall and crash into the water. A wreckage examination was conducted by the responding Federal Aviation Administration inspector who found no prexisting mechanical abnormalities or failures with the airplane. ## Factual narrative On November 29, 2009, about 1330 eastern standard time, an amateur-built, amphibious, Tail Feather LLC, Sea Rey, N969TF, operated by an individual, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off the shores near Blind Pass, Sanibel, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the Title14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 local personal flight. The pilot sustained serious injuries and the airplane incurred substantial damage. The pilot stated that he was flying from west to east, about 70 to 75 miles per hour, and at an altitude of 300 feet above ground level (agl). As the pilot approached the Sanibel/Captiva Islands he descended to 100 feet agl, 300 to 400 feet from the shoreline. He then began a 180-degree turn, forgetting to add power and losing 70 feet of altitude in the turn. At the completion of the turn the pilot was at about 30 feet agl and 40 miles per hour airspeed. He stated that “adding power did not seem appropriate” as he was “heading toward the beach with people everywhere.” The pilot elected to allow the airplane to stall and crash into the water. The pilot also noted that no stall warning horn was installed in the airplane. An examination of the wreckage was performed by the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. According to the inspector, the right wing spar was substantially damaged as was the main wing attachment to the pylon. All support tubing for the main pylon and wing attachment points were cracked or bent. The control panel and fuel tank were detached from the wreckage. The airplane engine showed no damage or operational abnormalities other than that incurred from being submerged in saltwater. The pilot, age 55, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. He was issued an FAA third-class medical certificate in July 2009, with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses. On December 29, 2001, the airplane was issued a special airworthiness certificate and was registered in the experimental category. The two-place amphibious airplane was equipped with retractable landing gear of tail wheel design. The airplane was equipped with a Rotax 914 engine. The closest official weather observation was at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), Winter Haven, Florida, 17 miles east of the accident site. The RSW 1353 aviation routine weather report (METAR) recorded winds from 170 degrees at 5 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; few clouds at 4000 feet; temperature 24 degrees Celsius (C); dew point 12 degrees C; altimeter 30.05 inches of mercury. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N969TF](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N969TF-2012-08-13), registration cancelled 2012-08-13, S/N 1DK249, built 2001 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Tail Feather LLC Sea Rey - Registry model: [Tail Feather SEAREY](https://openairdocs.org/model/tail-feather-searey) (registry code 05612GQ) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG](https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (registry code 99999) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 1DK249 - Airframe hours: 182 - Engines: Rotax 912S 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Departed: 1FA3, Pine Island, FL - Destination: 1FA3, Pine Island, FL ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 55; injuries: serious; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review November 15, 2009; seat: left; flight hours: 250 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 170° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 54 °F - Altimeter: 30.04 inHg - Observed at: RSW ## 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 20091129053239A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20091129053239A), Nov 29, 2009: Tail Feathe SEAREY, Sanibel, FL, Substantial damage. During a day VFR flight in the Sanibel, FL area, N969TF, a experimental amateur built aircraft crashed into the ocean. An eyewitness that did not observe the… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 29, 2010, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=75111. 957 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 772 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40331527&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Other Pertinent Forms and Reports: Record of Conversation With Pilot. (item 2, .PDF, 30 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40331530&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Other%20Pertinent%20Forms%20and%20Reports%3A%20Record%20of%20Conversation%20With%20Pilot.-Redacted.PDF - Reports from Local Agencies: Excerpts From the Sanibel Police Department Report. (item 3, .PDF, 98 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40331532&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Reports%20from%20Local%20Agencies%3A%20Excerpts%20From%20the%20Sanibel%20Police%20Department%20Report.-Redacted.PDF - Weather Reports and Records (item 4, .PDF, 57 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40331533&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Weather%20Reports%20and%20Records-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.