Amateur-built CONDOR III +2 accident near Lake Placid, Florida, March 10, 1985
On March 10, 1985 at about 6:30 pm local time, a amateur-built CONDOR III +2, registered N44816, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Placid, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 10, 1985 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Placid, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CONDOR III +2 CONDOR III
- Registration
- N44816 · registry record · serial 83-140-3-2
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT ON TAKEOFF FROM LAKE PERSOMMON HE WAS UNABLE TO CLIMB MORE THAN 50 FPM DUE TO DOWNDRAFTS ALONG THE TREE LINE ON HIS RIGHT SIDE & HE COLLIDED WITH A 35 FT TREE & CRASHED INTO A CREEK.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 443 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 944 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 8, 1984; 401 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 804 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kawasaki 440B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lake Persimmon FL at 7:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:48 pm from FMY, 50 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.
Other NTSB records under N44816 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.