Amateur-built Terrair Express accident near Lakeland, Florida, April 16, 2007
On April 16, 2007 at about 6:14 pm local time, a amateur-built Terrair Express, registered N456TS, was destroyed in an accident near Lakeland, Florida (Lakeland Linder Regional airport). 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 failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed while turning base to final which led to a stall. A contributing factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of recent experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 2007 · about 6:14 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeland, Florida · Lakeland Linder Regional
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Terrair Express
- Registration
- N456TS · registry record · serial CT101
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane's fuel tanks were filled with 100LL fuel before departure. The flight proceeded to the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport for an annual fly-in event, and in accordance with NOTAM procedures, the flight proceeded perpendicular towards runway "27R." The pilot turned left onto the downwind leg (right traffic for runway 27R), then onto right base for runway 27R, and was cleared to land. Approximately 15 seconds later the controller advised the pilot not to overshoot runway 27R and again advised the pilot he was cleared to land on runway 27R. The airplane banked steep, stalled, and descended uncontrolled impacting a tree then the ground where a postcrash fire consumed the airplane. Witness accounts were consistent with the engine operating at the time of the in-flight loss of control. The accident site was located southeast of the approach ends of runway 27R and runway 27L, indicating the pilot overshot the runway. No evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction was noted for the flight controls, or engine assembly. The accident flight was the first time the pilot had flown his airplane into Sun-N-Fun; his previous flight there in a different airplane was 12 years earlier. The downwind entry procedure at Sun-N-Fun is made at a 90-degree angle, which differs from the standard 45-degree entry.
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: 613 hours in all; 13 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: February 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 136 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-N (1) (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KAMG Alma GA
- Destination: KLAL Lakeland FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27R, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from KLAL, 1 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.