Amateur-built LIGHTNING accident near Frostproof, Florida, August 5, 2011
On August 5, 2011 at about 1:15 pm local time, a amateur-built LIGHTNING, registered N13LN, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Frostproof, Florida (Lake Clinch Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's premature rotation during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 2011 · about 1:15 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Frostproof, Florida · Lake Clinch Airstrip · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LIGHTNING
- Registration
- N13LN · registry record · serial 60
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the experimental, amateur-built airplane was departing from a turf runway. He reported that as he passed his normal rotation point on the runway, he rotated the airplane without verifying his airspeed, which resulted in the airplane becoming airborne prematurely. The airplane rotated, rolled to the left, impacted a light pole, and came to rest inverted. Substantial damage was sustained to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane prior to the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during takeoff
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action sequence › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,588 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 12, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 311 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 28, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 3300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 52FL Frostproof FL at 1:15 pm
- Destination: 52FL Frostproof FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,800 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:15 pm from BOW, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on September 9, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - Pilot/owner | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Bartow Weather | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo: Airplane at Rest in A Field (Courtesy of the FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N13LN on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Jabiru 3300 475 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lake Clinch Airpark · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 985 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,708 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA11CA440.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.