Chech Aircraft Works Spol Sro CH 601 XL RTF accident near Polk City, Florida, April 7, 2008
On April 7, 2008 at about 9:01 pm local time, a Chech Aircraft Works Spol Sro CH 601 XL RTF, registered N357DT, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Polk City, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight failure of the left wing for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 7, 2008 · about 9:01 pm local time
- Place
- Polk City, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Chech Aircraft Works Spol Sro CH 601 XL RTF
- Registration
- N357DT · registry record · serial 6-9733
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After stopping for fuel, the pilot departed for the second leg of a cross-country flight. About 45 minutes after departing, witnesses observed the special light sport airplane banking and yawing before one of its wings "folded up" and the airplane descended to the ground. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the left wing had failed in an upward (or positive) direction due to a fracture of the lower left wing spar chord. The subsequent overload failure of the wing resulted in a loss of control of the airplane. Metallurgical examination did not reveal any evidence of preexisting conditions or design or material deficiencies that may have contributed to the in-flight structural failure.
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
- Aircraft structural failure during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 514 hours in all; 71 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 466 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 30, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 142 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2007; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X60 Williston FL at 8:14 pm
- Destination: LAL Lakeland FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:58 pm from LAL, 15 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.