Piper PA28R-201 accident near Leesburg, Florida, May 4, 2007
On May 4, 2007 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Piper PA28R-201, registered N809MS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Leesburg, Florida (Leesburg airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to take remedial action, and the private pilot's failure to maintain proper airspeed, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 2007 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Leesburg, Florida · Leesburg · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28R-201 · all PA28R-201s on the register
- Registration
- N809MS · no longer on the register · serial 2837018
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certified flight instructor (CFI) was providing flight instruction to the private pilot, who was training for a commercial pilot certificate. The airplane was in the traffic pattern, abeam the runway, when the flight instructor reduced the engine power, and asked the private pilot to demonstrate a power off, 180-degree accuracy landing. The CFI verbally coached the private pilot throughout the approach, and reminded him to watch the airspeed, which was 3 knots slow. The CFI reported that when the airplane was about 100 feet above the ground, the private pilot increased the flaps from 10 to 25 degrees, and pitched the nose up. The airspeed degraded, and the airplane subsequently landed hard, and sustained wing spar damage. The flight instructor had accumulated about 800 hours of total flight experience. The private pilot had accumulated about 190 hours of total flight experience.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 650 as pilot in command; 420 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 190 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 130 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,565 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 2007; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFB Sanford FL
- Destination: LEE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from LEE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.