- Date
- June 27, 2008, 16:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Homestead, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2642FLima Sky Raider I
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 68321
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 airspeed during initial climb.
Findings · 2
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 pilot was flying an amateur-built Sky Raider I, an experimental light sport aircraft. He stated to the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors that he had purchased the airplane approximately 3 hours prior to the accident flight. The previous owner briefed him on some of the flying characteristics of the airplane, but the pilot had no flight experience in the make and model airplane. The pilot took off on runway a 9, a 2,620-foot long turf runway. About 2 or 3 seconds after becoming airborne, a gust of wind yawed the airplane 45 degrees to the right, toward several hangars and electrical power lines. The pilot attempted to gain sufficient altitude to clear the obstacles, but the airplane abruptly stalled, rolled to the right, and impacted the roof of a hangar. The pilot did not report any preimpact failure or malfunction with the airplane or its systems. The reported wind at an airport about 7 miles northeast of the accident site, about the time of the accident, was from 110 degrees at 11 knots.
Factual narrative
The pilot was flying an amateur-built Sky Raider I, an experimental light sport aircraft. He stated to the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors that he had purchased the airplane approximately 3 hours prior to the accident flight. The previous owner briefed him on some of the flying characteristics of the airplane, but the pilot had no flight experience in the make and model airplane. The pilot took off on runway a 9, a 2,620-foot long turf runway. About 2 or 3 seconds after becoming airborne, a gust of wind yawed the airplane 45 degrees to the right, toward several hangars and electrical power lines. The pilot attempted to gain sufficient altitude to clear the obstacles, but the airplane abruptly stalled, rolled to the right, and impacted the roof of a hangar. The pilot did not report any preimpact failure or malfunction with the airplane or its systems. The reported wind at an airport about 7 miles northeast of the accident site, about the time of the accident, was from 110 degrees at 11 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2642F
- Reported as
- Lima Sky Raider I
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Engine
- Rotax 447, 40 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Thomas J Bigelow
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · January 1, 2008
- Departed
- 04FA · Homestead, FL
- Destination
- 04FA
- Airport
- 04FA · Richards Field Airport, runway 9, 2,620 × 212 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
- 66
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 1 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- TMB, 7 nm away