Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Treasure Coast Airpark Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
St. Lucie, Florida 34987
Sunday, April 14, 2013 8:15 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
On April 14, 2013, about 0815 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Kit Fox IV 1200, N117S, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while attempting a landing at Treasure Coast Airpark (FL37), Port St. Lucie, Florida. The private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
A number of witnesses saw portions of the flight, but no one saw all of it. According to some of the witnesses, the airplane took off from runway 27, turned to the north, then circled back to a left downwind for a landing on the same runway. One witness, also a pilot, noted that during the downwind leg, the airplane was “very close in” to the runway. He also noted that although the airplane had taken off in conditions that were a “little hazy,” he subsequently saw it “popping through clouds” on the downwind leg until his view was blocked by a house.
Another witness stated that, as the airplane turned toward the final approach to the runway, she saw the nose drop, and that the airplane then headed “straight down” before she lost sight of it behind a tree line.
Multiple witnesses also reported hearing the engine operating at a high power level without any anomalies.
The airplane impacted the ground next to a busy road, and with storms and darkness anticipated, local authorities requested that it be moved prior to NTSB arrival, which was granted under the condition that extensive photographs be taken.
A site visit the next morning revealed ground scars that were consistent with the airplane initially impacting the ground nose-down. The initial impact point was characterized by a shallow crater in which a portion of a propeller blade was found the previous day. The crater was located in the vicinity of 27 degrees, 14.28 minutes north latitude, 080 degrees, 28.52 minutes west longitude, about 090 degrees, 470 feet from the runway 27 threshold.
A linear ground scar, about the length of the airplane’s wing, emanated from the crater toward a heading of about 220 degrees magnetic. Another ground scar, also about the length of the airplane’s wing, emanated from the crater toward a heading of about 060 degrees magnetic. There was then a lack of ground scarring, which was consistent with the airplane having bounced once before it came to rest on its nose, about 25 feet, 330 degrees magnetic from the crater, heading about 110 degrees magnetic.
An examination of the wreckage at a storage facility revealed that all flight control surfaces were present. Control continuity could not be confirmed to the cockpit due to cockpit crushing.
An approximately 45-degree upward bend of the fuselage was noted just aft of the landing gear. There was also leading edge damage along the entire left wing, and fabric tears on both the upper and lower inboard sections of the right wing. Wing crush angles could not be determined due to the fabric-covered, wooden rib construction.
One of the three composite propeller blades was sheared near the hub while the next blade in rotation exhibited a chordwise fracture and leading edge scuffing and the third blade was relatively unscathed. The spinner exhibited aft and rotational deformation.
A hand-held GPS unit was recovered from the wreckage and forwarded to the NTSB Recorders Laboratory to attempt a data download.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/14/2013 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 815 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | St. Lucie |
| Event State | FLORIDA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 34987 |
| Event Date Year | 2013 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 271417N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0802831W |
| Event Location Airport | Treasure Coast Airpark |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | FL37 |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 30 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Witness |
| Time of the weather observation | |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | -- |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | -- |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | -- |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | -- |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -- |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | -- |
| Variable Wind Indicator | -- |
| Wind Speed (knots) | -- |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | -- |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Southern ROC |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 9 2013 4:15PM |
| User who most recently changed record | kenj |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N117S |
| NTSB Number | ERA13FA201 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | SCHOONOVER JOHN D |
| Aircraft Model | KIT FOX IV 1200 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1774 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | -- |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | -- |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | SCHOONOVER JOHN D |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | DAVIE |
| Aircraft Owner State | FL |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 33325 |
| Operator is an individual? | Yes |
| Operator Name | SCHOONOVER JOHN D |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | DAVIE |
| Operator State | FL |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 33325 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | FL37 |
| Departure City | St. Lucie |
| Departure State | FL |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | -- |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | FL37 |
| Destination City | St. Lucie |
| Destination State | FL |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 9 2013 4:15PM |
| User who most recently changed record | kenj |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 27 |
| Runway Length | 4000 |
| Runway Width | 100 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |