Rockwell 112A accident near Tampa, Florida, October 24, 2004
On October 24, 2004 at about 12:20 pm local time, a Rockwell 112A, registered N112ND, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tampa, Florida (Peter O' Knight Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to properly set flaps for takeoff which resulted in the aborted takeoff and subsequent impact with water during an overrun of the runway and seawall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 24, 2004 · about 12:20 pm local time
- Place
- Tampa, Florida · Peter O' Knight Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell 112A
- Registration
- N112ND · no longer on the register · serial 336
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated the preflight, start, taxi, and run-up, were conducted in accordance with the aircraft checklist prior to the takeoff roll. Upon reaching the rotation speed, backpressure was applied to the control yoke when the airplane failed to respond to the control inputs, she made the decision to abort the takeoff. During the aborted takeoff the airplane traveled off the paved runway surface. Upon contact with the grass at the end of runway 03 the airplane skid sideways towards the seawall. The airplane went over the seawall and became submerged in the water. The non-pilot passenger stated she was seated to the right of the pilot at the time of accident. The pilot tried to stop, but the airplane skidded off the runway and over the seawall. She and the pilot exited the airplane without assistance. A witness stated to the local police that she was driving northeast on Davis boulevard paralleling runway 03 at the Peter O'Knight Airport, when she observed the accident airplane on the takeoff roll. She observed the airplane going "very fast" down the runway. Past the point she thought it should takeoff, it veered to the right, traveled off the runway and went into the water. She was unsure if the airplanes nose rose off the ground or not. She stated she never heard the engine turn off. The FAA inspector who responded to the accident scene stated that the flap indicator on the instrument panel was positioned near the zero-degree mark.The flight controls were checked and they operated normal with no binding. At the time the airplane was pulled from the water the flap configuration was not at the required 10-degrees for normal takeoff. The 112A flight manual requires the pilot to use 10-degrees of flaps for normal takeoff. The aircraft was departing from runway 03, a published 3,400-foot-long runway.
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: 420 hours in all; 224 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 306 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 30, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,172 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 2004; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO360 CID6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KTPF Tampa FL at 12:15 pm
- Destination: KLAL Lakeland FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03, 3,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,600 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 1:20 pm from KTPF
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.