Interplane Sro Skyboy accident near Zephyrhills, Florida, February 16, 2005
On February 16, 2005 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Interplane Sro Skyboy, registered N942WW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Zephyrhills, Florida (Zephyrhills Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The instructors in-flight loss of control due to the flight controls being jammed for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 2005 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Zephyrhills, Florida · Zephyrhills Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Interplane Sro Skyboy
- Registration
- N942WW · no longer on the register · serial 39-2001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor stated that he and his student were taking off from runway 22, and the experimental airplane had climbed to about 50 feet altitude when the flight controls stuck in the left position and the airplane descended in a spiral, impacting the ground. He stated that the engine was developing full power the whole time during the flight and that he did not stall the aircraft. An FAA inspector who responded to the accident site, said that witnesses told him they saw the airplane descend in a left spiral and that after impacting the ground the engine continued operating and had to be secured in order to remove the occupants. According to the inspector, the aircraft was destroyed and the extent of the damage precluded a determination of any flight control related anomalies.
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
Flight instructor
- Flight time: 650 hours in all
- Last flight review: July 1, 2005
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ZPH Zephyr Hills FL at 3:00 pm
- Destination: ZPH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 5,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from TPA, 25 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.