Amateur-built Sky Raider I accident near Homestead, Florida, June 27, 2008
On June 27, 2008 at about 8:20 pm local time, a amateur-built Sky Raider I, registered N2642F, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Homestead, Florida (Richards Field Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during initial climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 2008 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Homestead, Florida · Richards Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Sky Raider I
- Registration
- N2642F · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was flying an amateur-built Sky Raider I, an experimental light sport aircraft. He stated to the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors that he had purchased the airplane approximately 3 hours prior to the accident flight. The previous owner briefed him on some of the flying characteristics of the airplane, but the pilot had no flight experience in the make and model airplane. The pilot took off on runway a 9, a 2,620-foot long turf runway. About 2 or 3 seconds after becoming airborne, a gust of wind yawed the airplane 45 degrees to the right, toward several hangars and electrical power lines. The pilot attempted to gain sufficient altitude to clear the obstacles, but the airplane abruptly stalled, rolled to the right, and impacted the roof of a hangar. The pilot did not report any preimpact failure or malfunction with the airplane or its systems. The reported wind at an airport about 7 miles northeast of the accident site, about the time of the accident, was from 110 degrees at 11 knots.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Airport structure › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 1, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 573 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 447 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 04FA Homestead FL
- Destination: 04FA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,620 ft by 212 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from TMB, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.