- Date
- September 1, 2007, 09:45 local (13:45 UTC)
- Place
- Okeechobee, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N444LTAnthony J. Bencivenga Aventura II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Orlando FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070901022419A
- Case key
- 66567
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 directional control of the airplane during landing, which resulted in the pilot being inadvertently ejected and the airplane's impact with the water during an uncontrolled descent.
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 pilot stated that he departed from the Okeechobee Airport and headed toward the lake to practice touch and go landings on the water. When he arrived at the lake, he turned into the wind, which caused the nose of the airplane to rise. He over corrected, causing the nose to dip sharply. He had his hand on the throttle. The abrupt movement made him apply full throttle and push the flight controls to the left, which made the airplane make a sharp left turn throwing him out the right side of the airplane. The airplane leveled itself off and flew about a mile before it came down and flipped over in the shallow water. A friend, who was flying with him in his own airplane, saw what had happened. The friend called for help and got the attention of a nearby fisherman, who came to his aid and brought him to the shore. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated he departed from the Okeechobee Airport and headed toward the lake to practice touch and go landings on the water. When he arrived at the lake, he turned into the wind, which caused the nose of the airplane to rise. He over corrected, causing the nose to dip sharply. He had his hand on the throttle. The abrupt movement made him apply full throttle and push the flight controls to the left, which the airplane made a sharp left turn throwing him out the right side of the airplane. The airplane leveled itself off and flew about a mile before it came down and flipped over in the shallow water. A friend, whom was flying with him in his own airplane, saw what had happened. The friend called for help and got the attention of a nearby fisherman, which come to his aid and brought him to the shore. The pilot stated there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N444LT
- Reported as
- Anthony J. Bencivenga Aventura II
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- AP2A0094
- Airframe hours
- 140
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Anthony J. Bencivenga
- Registered owner
- Anthony J. Bencivenga
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- KOBE · Okeechobee, FL
- Airport
- KOBE · Okeechobee
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
- 66
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Flight hours
- 140 total · 140 in this make and model · 25 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.