Amateur-built AVENTURA II accident near Meritt Island, Florida, July 23, 2022
On July 23, 2022 at about 10:54 pm local time, a 2009 amateur-built AVENTURA II, registered N709CW, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Meritt Island, Florida (Merritt Island airport). 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 failure to maintain control of the airplane during final approach to land, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, aerodynamic stall, and collision with a fence and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2022 · about 10:54 pm local time
- Place
- Meritt Island, Florida · Merritt Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AVENTURA II, built 2009
- Registration
- N709CW · no longer on the register · serial AA2A0143
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had accrued 954 total hours of flight experience but had only flown about 3.2 hours during four flights in the experimental amateur-built amphibious accident airplane. The pilot departed from a grass area next to a runway at the airport where he kept the airplane. After an uneventful local flight he returned to the airport to land. He performed go-arounds during the first two landing approaches due to being either too high or too fast. During the third landing attempt, the pilot thought the approach looked “OK” but then he noticed that he was too low, and too slow, so he increased engine power and applied slight up elevator. The pilot explained that the engine was on top of the wing (mounted in a pusher configuration) and normally when power was added the airplane would initially pitch down but would level off and then climb. The pilot described that this time though when he was too slow (about 45 knots), he added an extra amount of power, which pushed the nose down and made the airplane descend. He then “got scared,” “gave too much up elevator,” and believed that the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall. The airplane then struck the ground and a fence at an airspeed of about 55 knots. The pilot was seriously injured and postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuselage was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that during the accident flight, the flight controls and engine all operated normally.
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: unmanned (suas)
- Flight time: 954 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 807 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 7, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 101 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 23, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 1,340 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS (piston); 116 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COI Merritt Island FL at 10:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 3,601 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from KCOF, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KCOF 072256Z AUTO 15013KT 10SM CLR 31/26 A2999 RMK AO2 SLP160 T03070264 FZRANO $=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on April 24, 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 | Memorandum for Record - Wreckage Examination Information | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | PDF, 6 pages | 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.
