Amateur-built ROCKET II accident near Coral Springs, Florida, November 15, 1999
On November 15, 1999 at about 10:00 pm local time, a amateur-built ROCKET II, registered N561L, was destroyed in an accident near Coral Springs, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 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 airspeed while maneuvering (VSO) resulting in an inadvertent stall and subsequent in-flight collision with water. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper fuel management resulting in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, and the pilot's use of a sedating prescription antidepressant drug.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 15, 1999 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Coral Springs, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ROCKET II
- Registration
- N561L · no longer on the register · serial 4003
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was maneuvering the airplane between 250 and 300 feet when the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot pulled back on the control stick to gain altitude. The nose pitched down ward about 45 degrees, the left wing dropped down, and the airplane collided with the everglades. The engine was removed from the airframe and transported to an authorized FAA approved repair station. The engine was placed in a test cell, started, developed rated power, and achieved takeoff power. The Electronics International Inc., FL-2R (fuel quantity indicator) was removed from the airplane and examined in the presence of the FAA. Information retrieved from the computer revealed the right fuel tank stopped using fuel about 50 minutes before the accident, and the left fuel tank would of been emptied at the time of the accident. The fuel selector valve was found selected on the left fuel tank. Toxicology results revealed the pilot was using a sedating prescription antidepressant drug.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 90 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 232 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 7, 1998; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLL Fort Lauderdale FL at 8:19 pm
- Destination: FXE Fort Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from FLL, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.