Extra Flugzeugbau EA300/L accident near Golden Gate, Florida, January 31, 2003
On January 31, 2003 at about 12:45 pm local time, a Extra Flugzeugbau EA300/L, registered N33KL, was destroyed in an accident near Golden Gate, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airplane's entry into a near vertical descent for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a collision with terrain during the resultant descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 31, 2003 · about 12:45 pm local time
- Place
- Golden Gate, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Extra Flugzeugbau EA300/L · all EA300/Ls on the register
- Registration
- N33KL · no longer on the register · serial 055
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident airplane, an Extra Flugzeugbau GMBH EA300/L, N33KL, crashed in the Picayune Strand State Forest, Collier County, Florida. The airplane was destroyed, with both pilots receiving fatal injuries. A witness who was in the state forest at the time of the accident said that he was working, and he observed the accident airplane approach from the north, in level flight, and as it passed by the engine sounded as if it was operating normally. He said that as he observed the airplane, he saw a slight but seemingly deliberate roll to both sides, followed by a larger roll to each side, and as the airplane flew on he lost sight of it and then heard a loud bang, followed by complete silence. The airplane impacted the ground in the forest, in about a 90-degree nose down attitude. Examination of the accident site revealed that the impact had created about an 8-foot in diameter by 6-foot deep crater, in which most of the airplane had been deposited. The airplane had impacted nose first and the fuselage had piled on top, with damaged sections of the wings laid out with the leading edges vertical to and resting on the ground. In addition. There was a debris field consisting of smaller pieces of the airplane that had been thrown about 30 feet, on a heading of about 120 degrees. Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preaccident anomalies with the airframe, the flight controls, or the engine.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,100 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
Other crew
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 2, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 2,095 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming AEIO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 15X Naples FL at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from APF, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.