Amateur-built Protech PT-2B accident near Crestview, Florida, August 9, 2006
On August 9, 2006 at about 10:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Protech PT-2B, registered N333PT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Crestview, Florida (Crestview airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to correct for torque/p-factor during takeoff initial climb, which resulted in a loss of control and a collision with trees and a power line. Factors contributing to the accident were the pilot's lack of familiarity with the airplane, and his inadvertent lift-off.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 2006 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Crestview, Florida · Crestview · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Protech PT-2B
- Registration
- N333PT · registry record · serial PT1003
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot, with one passenger, began to taxi down a runway in a tailwheel-equipped, amateur built experimental airplane during a Title 14, CFR Part 91 flight. The pilot said he only intended to taxi the airplane, and lift off to about 2 inches, but when he applied aft control pressure at 30 mph, it lifted off to about 50 feet and began to turn left. The pilot indicated he applied right aileron and right rudder to correct the turn, but no change in direction occurred. He then pulled the control stick aft to gain altitude. The airplane climbed to 160 feet before descending into trees and a power line, still in a left turn. A postcrash fire erupted after impact. The pilot and passenger exited the inverted airplane, and the fire destroyed all aircraft records. In the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) submitted by the pilot, the pilot indicated that the airplane did not have a mechanical malfunction/failure. The pilot said he received 1 hour of instruction in the airplane, but did not have a tailwheel endorsement. An FAA inspector examined the airplane at the crash scene and reported that all flight controls were connected, with the exception of a broken left rudder cable. About 1/2 of the cable strands had a broom-straw appearance. The airplane's former owner, a certificated mechanic who owned the airplane for 2 months and had flown it once, reported that the airplane only weighed 950 pounds, and was equipped with a 150 horsepower engine for good short takeoff and landing capabilities. The mechanic reported that the day before the accident, in response to a call from the pilot, he removed a wasp from the pitot tube, and inspected the tailwheel assembly, which functioned properly. At that time, the mechanic said he warned that pilot about the torque produced by the large engine, and adverse yaw at slow speeds.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 250 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 250 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 528 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 1, 2006; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KCEW Crestview FL at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 8,005 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.