Amateur-built M-1 accident near Okeechobee, Florida, July 16, 2022
On July 16, 2022 at about 12:10 pm local time, a 1984 amateur-built M-1, registered N150MM, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (IFR final approach) near Okeechobee, Florida (Okeechobee Couty Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The premature placement of an airport runway closure marker short of the runway, which resulted in the airplane’s collision with the marker during the landing approach. Contributing was the pilot’s inability to see the marker due the nose-high attitude of the airplane during the approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2022 · about 12:10 pm local time
- Place
- Okeechobee, Florida · Okeechobee Couty Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built M-1, built 1984
- Registration
- N150MM · registry record · serial M-1-1115
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot landed on a runway that was scheduled to be closed about 9 minutes after he arrived. A NOTAM had been issued about the closure. The pilot was aware of the NOTAM and confirmed the runway was still open by communicating over the airport’s common traffic advisory frequency before he landed. The pilot said that when he was on short final approach to the runway, the airplane struck the top cross-arms of an unlit airport runway closure marker. The pilot was subsequently able to land safely. The pilot said he was unable to see the marker as he approached the runway due to the nose-high flight attitude of his airplane on approach. The impact with the marker resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s wing spar. A representative of the engineering company contracted by the airport acknowledged to the Federal Aviation Administration that their employees had moved the marker in front of the runway’s threshold prior to it being closed because they thought they had permission to do so by the airport; however, the person or entity who had granted that permission was never determined.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (IFR final approach) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Other
- Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › Runway markings/signage › Decision related to condition
- Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › Runway markings/signage › Ability to respond/compensate
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Perception › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 540 hours in all
- Last flight review: April 30, 2021
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 am from KOBE
Weather report (METAR): METAR KOBE 161200Z AUTO 04003KT 10 SM CLR 25/25 A3004 RMK AO2
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 | Written Statement - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | NTSB Summary of Email - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 2 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.