- Date
- December 6, 2007, 12:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- New Smyrna Beac, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N130SXMessing Roy Sonex
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Orlando FSDO
- Case key
- 67212
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 altitude/clearance while on final approach for landing.
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
According to the pilot, "the purpose of the flight was to test a new instrument and conduct test approaches and landings to check flying characteristics at slower approach speeds. Previous approaches at 70 miles per hour (MPH) [were] too fast. After practicing slow flight and entering a stall speed into new instrument I was cleared for a 5-mile straight in approach to runway 2. After "dragging in" for 5-miles I attained my test final approach speed of 60 mph. There was a tree in my glide path so I climbed over it but underestimated my sink rate (which was the purpose of the test flight) the right gear snagged a limb which jerked me into a right hand roll. I applied power, leveled the wings, and pointed [the] nose ahead as it hit the ground. There were no visible markings on the runway to indicate a displaced threshold. The reason for the displaced threshold is the tree. If the runway was properly marked, I am sure I would have been reminded at least a mile out or one-half out that there was a displaced threshold and avoided the incident."
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, "the purpose of the flight was to test a new instrument and conduct test approaches and landings to check flying characteristics at slower approach speeds. Previous approaches at 70 miles per hour (MPH) [were] too fast. After practicing slow flight and entering a stall speed into new instrument I was cleared for a 5-mile straight in approach to runway 2. After "dragging in" for 5-miles I attained my test final approach speed of 60 mph. There was a tree in my glide path so I climbed over it but underestimated my sink rate (which was the purpose of the test flight) the right gear snagged a limb which jerked me into a right hand roll. I applied power, leveled the wings, and pointed [the] nose ahead as it hit the ground. There were no visible markings on the runway to indicate a displaced threshold. The reason for the displaced threshold is the tree. If the runway was properly marked, I am sure I would have been reminded at least a mile out or one-half out that there was a displaced threshold and avoided the incident."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N130SX
- Reported as
- Messing Roy Sonex
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 0013
- Airframe hours
- 49.4
- Engine
- Jabiru 3300A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert C. Abbaticchio
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · May 1, 2007 · 8.6 hours before
- Departed
- KEVB · New Smyrna Beac, FL
- Destination
- KEVB · New Smyrna Beac, FL
- Airport
- KEVB · New Smyrna Beach Municipal, runway 2, 4,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 75
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 1, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,343 total · 24 in this make and model · 1,343 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- KEVB