Amateur-built AVID CATALINA accident near Sebring, Florida, April 14, 1999
On April 14, 1999 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built AVID CATALINA, registered N9224T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sebring, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight separation of one of the propeller blade's and one of the engine's exhaust pipes causing the engine to vibrate until it stopped running. A related factor was the unsuitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 14, 1999 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sebring, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AVID CATALINA AVID CATAL
- Registration
- N9224T · no longer on the register · serial 155AB
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during cruise flight, at 1,000-feet agl, his experimental, pusher engine, hull configured amphibian sustained a propeller blade(s) separation and when he reduced power to alleviate the extreme vibration, the engine quit. The pilot's only option was to attempt an emergency landing to a clear spot in an abandoned orange grove. The aircraft collided with sand furrows and high vegetation sustaining heavy damage to the airframe. Examination of the wreckage revealed that 2 of the 3 composite propeller blades were missing as well as the engine's left/front exhaust pipe. All that remained of the missing exhaust pipe was its attaching hardware to its exhaust port and a short stub revealing a 360-degree circumferential crack.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 185 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 142 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 13, 1999; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 912UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AVO Avon Park FL at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from ORL, 60 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 N9224T 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.