- Date
- November 13, 2021, 11:50 local (16:50 UTC)
- Place
- Sebring, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- UNREGMaxair Drifter
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/ FSDO
- Case key
- 104253
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 non-certificated pilot’s decision to operate the airplane without flight training or a pilot certificate and his loss of control shortly after takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at low altitude and collision with terrain.
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 non-certificated pilot reported that as, he maneuvered the airplane to land in an open field, his flight path was nearing people and a building, so he added power, however too much power was added. This resulted in the nose of the airplane pitching up rapidly, which was followed by an aerodynamic stall and a nose low impact in the field. The airplane’s tail boom, fuselage, and wings sustained substantial damage. A video taken from the ground captured nearly the entire accident flight. Its contents largely corroborate the pilot’s account of what happened. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. He further reported that the accident flight was only his second flight in the airplane and he had not received any flight training to fly this airplane prior to flight. He believed the airplane was an “ultralight”, however, due to the fuel tanks size and number of seats, it did not meet the criteria stated in Code of Federal Regulations Part 103.
Aircraft
- Registration
- UNREG
- Reported as
- Maxair Drifter (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- NONE
- Airframe hours
- 6
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- None
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- SEF · Sebring Rgnl
- Equipment
- None
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- Serious
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2 total · 2 in this make and model · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- SEF, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KSEF 131555Z AUTO 21008KT 10SM CLR 26/20 A3002 RMK AO2 T02590200
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 20, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 44.2 MB in all.