Smith Ted Aerostar 601P N715RM

Summary

On 16 February 2002 at about 13:00 local time, a Smith Ted Aerostar 601P registered N715RM was involved in an accident near Belle Glade, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 February 2002 at 13:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Belle Glade, Florida, United States

Coordinates

26.6801, -80.6691

Aircraft

Smith Ted Aerostar 601P

Registration

N715RM

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Boca Raton → Marathon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA02LA061

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot continued flight into known adverse weather resulting in a loss of control and subsequent impact with the ground.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was aware of thunderstorms along his route of flight. He paralleled a line of storms for about 20 minutes looking for a hole in the storms to penetrate, without any success. He turned, and climbed to an altitude of 13,500 feet. He noticed what seemed to be an opening to the south, and turned southbound, through the hole, for about 2 or 3 miles, and then the hole closed. He turned the airplane to the right to reverse course, when he inadvertantly penetrated a cell. At this point he said he "lost control of the airplane, and was turned upside down…...heading straight down towards the ground...…traveling at a high rate of speed..….the airspeed indicator was pegged." At an altitude of about 2,000 feet, he was able to level the wings, reduce power and raise the nose. He said he was then able to slow the airplane for a "controlled crash landing," straight a head in a sugar cane field. According to the Sheriff's Report, he struck the field in which the aircraft was lying in immediately after slowing the airplane. The distance from the initial impact area to where the airplane came to rest was about 75 yards.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.