Amateur-built Team Rocket F-1 accident near Rosenberg, Texas, December 20, 2002
On December 20, 2002 at about 7:03 pm local time, a amateur-built Team Rocket F-1, registered N140TC, was destroyed in an accident near Rosenberg, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight separation of the vertical stabilizer as a result of the builder's failure to install the upper attachment fitting for the vertical fin aft spar.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 2002 · about 7:03 pm local time
- Place
- Rosenberg, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Team Rocket F-1
- Registration
- N140TC · registry record · serial 030
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The vertical stabilizer separated from the airplane in-flight while descending to land. Witnesses reported observing the airplane in a near vertical descent as it disappeared from their view, and that they heard the engine making a "high level of noise." After the airplane descended from view, the witnesses observed a piece(s) of the airplane "fluttering down." An examination of the wreckage by an FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, and a representative from the manufacturer, revealed that the upper attachment fitting for the vertical fin aft spar was not installed. This is a 1 x 1 x.125 inch extruded angle that is designed to absorb the fin torque loads resulting from rudder deflections. Four AN3 fasteners attach this fitting to the aft section of the fuselage, and to the vertical fin aft spar. It was also observed that the vertical fin forward spar attach holes were not drilled, as directed by the assembly manual.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGR Houston TX at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from SGR, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.