Sea & Sky INC DBA Krucker Acft CYGNET accident near Panama City Beach, Florida, June 2, 2015
On June 2, 2015, a 2012 Sea & Sky INC DBA Krucker Acft CYGNET, registered N59AT, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Panama City Beach, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of aircraft control, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 2015
- Place
- Panama City Beach, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sea & Sky INC DBA Krucker Acft CYGNET, built 2012
- Registration
- N59AT · registry record · serial 20114
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial airplane pilot reported that, during his first solo flight in his new weight-shift-controlled aircraft, he experienced an unstable feeling when he started a right turn. While attempting to roll the aircraft straight and level, it rolled into an uncontrollable, "steep" left turn and entered an aerodynamic stall before crashing into the water below. It is likely that when the pilot attempted to correct the initial roll to the right, the aircraft rolled past 90° of bank, to a condition where the pendulum stability, which kept the fuselage below the wing, ceased to act, resulting in the loss of control. Postaccident examination of the aircraft revealed that several of the hardware components attaching the wing to the trike had fractured; however, examination of the fractures revealed that they all exhibited features consistent with overstress due to impact, and no evidence of preexisting damage was observed.
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
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,850 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: May 20, 2015
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 31, 2015; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,060 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 15 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Panama City Beach FL
- Destination: Panama City Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from ECP, 10 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.
Other NTSB records under N59AT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.