Aero Vodochody Aero. Works L-39C accident near Titusville, Florida, March 16, 2007
On March 16, 2007 at about 6:43 pm local time, a Aero Vodochody Aero. Works L-39C, registered N63925, was destroyed in an accident near Titusville, Florida (Space Coast Regional Airport). It was an air show or air race flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to ensure sufficient altitude while maneuvering in close proximity to the ground during an airshow, which resulted in an impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 2007 · about 6:43 pm local time
- Place
- Titusville, Florida · Space Coast Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Vodochody Aero. Works L-39C
- Registration
- N63925 · no longer on the register · serial 031803
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Air show or air race flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness provided a video recording of the airplane while it was maneuvering prior to and during the accident. The recording showed the airplane ascending and penetrating a scattered cloud layer at the top of a loop. The airplane then came back into view on the video, descending out of the loop before impacting the ground at a high velocity in a flat attitude and in a forward motion. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces. Postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all
- Last flight review: February 12, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 488 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 10,360 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ivchenko AI-25TL (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Best Jet Services LLC
The flight
- Departed from: TIX Titusville FL at 6:30 pm
- Destination: TIX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 24 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from TIX
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.
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.