Amateur-built Lancair accident near Sebring, Florida, March 28, 2018
On March 28, 2018 at about 12:30 pm local time, a 1999 amateur-built Lancair, registered CGSQQ, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Sebring, Florida (Sebring Regional Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of ground personnel to obtain permission from airport management to conduct engine test runs; adequately monitor the area behind the B737 for traffic; and install barricades to prevent access behind the running airplane, which resulted in the accident pilot's loss of control during taxi due to an encounter with the jet blast. Contributing to the accident were the accident pilot's failure to detect that the B737 engines were running, and the airport management's failure to establish written standard operating procedures regarding engine runs.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 2018 · about 12:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sebring, Florida · Sebring Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Lancair IV-P, built 1999
- Registration
- CGSQQ · no longer on the register · serial LIV-230
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot made position reports over the airport's common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) while inbound to the airport for landing. After landing and exiting the runway onto a taxiway, the pilot stopped and reconfigured the airplane and noticed a Boeing 737 (B737) south of his position with the left engine cowling missing. Neither he nor his front seat passenger perceived that either engine was running, and there were no barricades positioned around the airplane to indicate that engine runs were in progress. The accident pilot proceeded to taxi about 200 to 300 ft behind the B737, which was operating with both engines at 85% power. The accident airplane cartwheeled in the jet blast from the running engines and came to rest upright on grass, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot of another airplane and a groundcrew member monitoring the engine runs both attempted to warn the accident pilot over the CTAF of the running B737 engines, but were unsuccessful. The airport director reported that there was an "unwritten" policy in place that his approval was required before B737 engine maintenance runs. Although personnel from the maintenance facility that conducted the engine runs reported that they had received permission from airport management to do so, the airport director reported that neither he nor his staff approved the activity on the day of the accident. In addition, the installation of barricades to block the taxiway behind the running airplane would have prevented the accident by keeping other airplanes a safe distance from the B737.
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
- Prop/jet/rotor blast/suction during taxi (from runway) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during taxi (from runway)
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during taxi (from runway)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Understanding/comprehension › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Maintenance personnel
- cause Organizational issues › Management › Policy/procedure › (general) › Maintenance provider
- factor Organizational issues › Development › (general) › (general) › Airport
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,130 hours in all; 420 in this make and model; 19.5 in the last 90 days; 12.1 in the last 30 days; 8,150 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 20, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 520 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 25, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 3,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-550B (piston); 520 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FL59 Fort Myers FL at 12:00 pm
- Destination: SEF Sebring FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 12:35 pm from OBE, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on April 15, 2021. 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 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of NTSB Conversations | PDF, 22 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Passenger Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Google Earth Plot of Portion of Sebring Regional Airport with Key Positions Annotated | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Liveatc.net Audio Recording | audio | View Download |
| 6 | NTSB Audio Review | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | 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.
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.
