Pilot Debrief

Tail Feather LLC Sea Rey near Sanibel Island, FL — 2009-11-29

Final reportERA10LA085
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Date
2009-11-29
Location
Sanibel Island, FL, USA
Aircraft
Tail Feather LLC Sea Rey
Registration
N969TF
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Maneuvering

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.

NTSB narrative

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.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot forgot to add power during the 180-degree turn.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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