Terrence A Sack TERRAIR EXPRESS N456TS

Summary

On 16 April 2007 at about 18:14 local time, a Terrence A Sack TERRAIR EXPRESS registered N456TS was involved in an accident near Lakeland, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 April 2007 at 18:14

Classification

Accident

Location

Lakeland, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Lakeland Linder Regional (KLAL)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Terrence A Sack TERRAIR EXPRESS

Registration

N456TS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Alma → Lakeland

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA07LA077

2 people died.

The failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed while turning base to final which led to a stall. A contributing factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of recent experience.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane's fuel tanks were filled with 100LL fuel before departure. The flight proceeded to the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport for an annual fly-in event, and in accordance with NOTAM procedures, the flight proceeded perpendicular towards runway "27R." The pilot turned left onto the downwind leg (right traffic for runway 27R), then onto right base for runway 27R, and was cleared to land. Approximately 15 seconds later the controller advised the pilot not to overshoot runway 27R and again advised the pilot he was cleared to land on runway 27R. The airplane banked steep, stalled, and descended uncontrolled impacting a tree then the ground where a postcrash fire consumed the airplane. Witness accounts were consistent with the engine operating at the time of the in-flight loss of control. The accident site was located southeast of the approach ends of runway 27R and runway 27L, indicating the pilot overshot the runway. No evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction was noted for the flight controls, or engine assembly. The accident flight was the first time the pilot had flown his airplane into Sun-N-Fun; his previous flight there in a different airplane was 12 years earlier. The downwind entry procedure at Sun-N-Fun is made at a 90-degree angle, which differs from the standard 45-degree entry.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.