Waco Classic Aircraft YMF-F5C accident near Stuart, Florida, April 4, 2007
On April 4, 2007 at about 3:17 pm local time, a Waco Classic Aircraft YMF-F5C, registered N35MM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stuart, Florida (Witham Field). 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 2007 · about 3:17 pm local time · cases in 2007
- Place
- Stuart, Florida · Witham Field · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco Classic Aircraft YMF-F5C · all YMF-F5Cs on the register
- Registration
- N35MM · registry record · serial F5C-094
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane ground looped during takeoff. The pilot reported that he had been doing full stop landings. On his sixth takeoff the plane veered slightly left due to P-factor. He corrected with right rudder. His rudder application had minimal effect, so he added more right rudder, which caused the plane to ground loop to the right. The ground loop substantially damaged the right wing. The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,800 hours in all; 9 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755-BZM (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KSUA Stuart FL at 3:17 pm
- Destination: KSUA Stuart FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 5,826 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N35MM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N35MM on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Waco Classic Aircraft YMF-F5C 53 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Waco Classic Aircraft 53 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Jacobs R755-BZM 210 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Witham Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 985 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,705 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N35MM 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX07CA124.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.