Dratbe Shmiel Amir CLASSIC EDGE X accident near Miami, Florida, February 9, 2013
On February 9, 2013 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Dratbe Shmiel Amir CLASSIC EDGE X (weight-shift aircraft), registered N662DA, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Miami, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's decision to fly at low altitude surrounded by tree, wire, and water hazards, and his failure to maintain clearance from those obstacles.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 9, 2013 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dratbe Shmiel Amir CLASSIC EDGE X
- Registration
- N662DA · no longer on the register · serial 582-563
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot/owner reported that he was flying eastbound with a passenger and was following two dirt roads, a set of power lines, and a canal that were all oriented east-west and parallel to one another. As the airplane flew along the canal, a "downdraft" or "rotor" caused a sudden loss of altitude, which placed the airplane directly in the flightpath of an intersecting (north/south) set of power lines that crossed the canal. The pilot attempted to fly under the power lines to avoid them but struck a tree on the canal's bank. The airplane then impacted the water and submerged, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Witnesses reported observing the airplane flying just above the canal, below the height of the parallel lines, when it descended further, struck the tree, then the water. The student pilot/owner reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Ability to respond/compensate
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 50 hours in all; 30 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 507 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X51 Homestead FL at 1:00 pm
- Destination: Miami FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from HST, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.