Phillips William L CHALLENGER accident near Plant City, FL
On June 9, 2012, a Phillips William L CHALLENGER (airplane) was involved in an accident near Plant City, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 9, 2012
- Place
- Plant City, FL
- Aircraft
- Phillips William L CHALLENGER · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 28.136°N, 82.141°W
- NTSB ID
- 20120609X22931
Official records · ERA12FA387
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 9, 2012, at 1126 eastern daylight time, a Phillips Challenger II, N1279T, was substantially damaged during collision with terrain while maneuvering for landing at Blackwater Airpark (9FD2), Plant City, Florida. The pilot/owner was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that departed 9FD2 about 1110. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. According to the airport manager, the purpose of the flight was for the pilot/owner to get “one last flight” in the airplane before he sold it. The pilot had experienced health issues and undergone surgery in the years prior to the accident, and had not flown the airplane in approximately one year. The manager watched the entire flight, and described the takeoff as “normal” with no problems noted. The first landing approach was “fast and long,” and the pilot performed a go-around and entered the traffic pattern for another approach. The manager and other witnesses stated the airplane descended on the base leg of the traffic pattern to about 500 feet, and then the airplane turned and aligned with the runway. During the descent on final approach, the airplane pitched up, leveled off, descended, and pitched up multiple times with corresponding changes in engine power. They observed as the airplane “wandered” to the west,and was briefly flying parallel to the runway as it headed towards their location on the grass apron and the hangers on the west side of the field. The airplane pitched up, the nose dropped, and t
Probable cause
The non-certificated pilot’s loss of control during approach and landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of both total and recent flight experience.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
