Embraer EMB500 accident near Orlando, Florida, October 22, 2021
On October 22, 2021 at about 9:50 pm local time, a 2009 Embraer EMB500, registered N925DR, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Orlando, Florida (Orlando Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent application of the right brake during the landing roll, which resulted in a loss of directional control and a subsequent runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 2021 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Orlando, Florida · Orlando Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Embraer EMB500, built 2009 · all EMB500s on the register
- Registration
- N925DR · registry record · serial 50000059
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing the light jet with a right quartering tailwind. He stated that only the right brake activated when he applied the brakes during the landing roll. The airplane veered right so he released the brake pressure and used left rudder pressure to steer the airplane back toward the centerline. The airplane turned “aggressively” to the left, the right wing rose, and the pilot chose to continue into the grass rather than risk overcontrolling the airplane. The right wing impacted terrain, resulting in substantial damage, and the airplane came to rest upright perpendicular to the landing runway. One of the passengers stated that the airplane was “fishtailing” before it continued off the runway into the grass. The airplane’s flight data recorder showed an increase in right brake pressure and right brake pedal position starting 8 seconds after touchdown, with no corresponding increase in left brake pressure or pedal position, consistent with application of right brake only. Upon application of the right brake, the airplane entered a series of lateral accelerations, yawing right and left, consistent with the “fishtailing” described by the passenger; then entered a left yaw that continued until the end of the recorded data. No warnings or brake fault indications were recorded, and the brake control unit operated nominally during postaccident testing. The pilot reported that he did not customarily apply brakes during the landing roll when adequate runway was available to let the airplane decelerate. Based on the available information, it is likely that the pilot inadvertently applied right brake during the landing roll, which resulted in a loss of directional control and subsequent runway excursion.
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
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 26,000 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,766.2 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 17, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 9,766 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617F-E (turbofan); 1,767 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617F-E (turbofan); 1,820 hours total
- Operator: Scout About, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: CHS Charleston SC at 4:47 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18R/, 12,004 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 090° at 12 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KMCO, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KMCO 222153Z 09012G16KT 10SM SCT060 SCT250 30/19 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP148 T03000189=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
11 documents, released by the NTSB on June 22, 2023. 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 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Passenger Statement - B. Dalton | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Passenger Statement - S. Dalton | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Docket Photo Array | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Video File - Surveillance | video | View Download |
| 8 | Flight Data Recorder - Specialista��s Factual Report | PDF, 13 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Flight Data Recorder - Attachment 1 (FDR Tabular Data for Event Flight) | data file | Download |
| 10 | Brake Control Unit - Specialist's Report | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Bcu Evidence Control Form | 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.
