Amateur-built STAR-LITE accident near Lakeland, Florida, April 13, 1988
On April 13, 1988 at about 3:30 pm local time, a amateur-built STAR-LITE, registered N20RF, was destroyed in an accident near Lakeland, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 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
- April 13, 1988 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeland, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STAR-LITE
- Registration
- N20RF · registry record · serial 131
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE OWNER/MANUFACTURER OF THE HOMEBUILT ACFT REPAIRED THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS, THEN ASKED THE DESIGNER TO TEST FLY THE AIRCRAFT. AFTER TAKEOFF, AT AN ALT OF APRX 7,000 FEET MSL, IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE, AT 158 MPH ( 28 MPH GREATER THAN VNE) BOTH HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS SEPARATED. THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED DOWN, AFTER WHICH THE WINGS FAILED NEGATIVELY. THE PILOT PARACHUTED TO THE ROOF OF A HOUSE, THEN WAS PULLED TO THE GROUND WHEN THE CANOPY WAS REINFLATED BY THE WIND. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN AND CAME TO REST NEAR A RESIDENCE WITH NO PROPERTY DAMAGE. ACCORDING TO THE DESIGNER, THE OWNER SHOULD HAVE SEPARATED THE TWO STABILIZERS INTO FOUR SECTIONS, APPLIED EPOXY TO THE INSIDE OF EACH, AS WELL AS TO THE ALUMINUM SPAR, THEN ASSEMBLED THEM.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,742 hours in all; 228 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 1,680 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 90 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 447 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:46 pm from LAL, 5 miles away
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.