Amateur-built S 12-E accident near Pahokee, Florida, September 27, 2013
On September 27, 2013, a 2012 amateur-built S 12-E, registered N220BL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pahokee, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Undetermined because the wreckage was not recovered.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2013
- Place
- Pahokee, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built S 12-E, built 2012
- Registration
- N220BL · registry record · serial 220
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff, the flight proceeded to a lake, where during an unknown phase of flight, the amphibious airplane came to rest inverted and partially submerged with a portion of the right wing separated. There were no witnesses to the accident, and the airplane was found the following day. The aft section of the hull was above the water, and both main landing gear were submerged and not visible. The pilot was found still strapped into his seat, and his body was recovered. The outer portion of the airplane's right wing, which was found floating near the wreckage, was also recovered. An attempt to recover the airplane from the lake was made about one month after the accident; however, it could not be located. Examination of the separated section of the right wing revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. Although a diver who helped recover the pilot's body reported that the airplane's landing gear was damaged, because the airplane was not recovered, no determination could be made as to the position of the landing gear at water contact.
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
- Nose over/nose down during unknown defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,882.5 hours in all; 29.6 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 1.3 in the last 30 days; 1,812.4 as pilot in command; 379.2 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 22, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor 6-285-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: BCT Boca Raton FL at 6:42 pm
- Destination: Pahokee FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from PBI, 33 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.