Event GAA16LA135

Factual narrative

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn February 18, 2016 about 1815 eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built Van's RV-7A airplane, N705RP, landed on a roadway and nosed over near the Tavernaero Park Airport (FA81) in Tavernier, Florida. The private pilot sustained no injuries. The airplane was registered to BBK Aircraft LLC, Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, and operated by the pilot as a dusk, visual flight rules personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the Marco Island Airport (MKY) in Marco Island, Florida, about 1745. The pilot reported he was conducting an approach to runway 8 when he noticed a car off the side of the runway on a parallel access road. He reported that he was concerned with the proximity of the car to his intended landing area and he executed a go-around. With dusk approaching, he made the decision to make an "abbreviated" traffic pattern and "circle back around" to land on the runway. He applied full power, began the turn, and reported that the engine "backfired." He reported that the airplane was not "climbing normally" and as he made his turn, he was unable to gain sufficient altitude to maintain sight of the runway. The pilot reported that he circled back to the runway heading and viewed what he believed were the homes along the side of the runway threshold. He reported that the airplane was still unable to climb, but he anticipated that the runway would appear after he had cleared a small block of homes. He further reported that when the runway did not appear, and without the airplane being able to climb, he committed to landing on a road which was two blocks south of and parallel to the runway. During the landing roll, the airline impacted a three mail boxes, a basketball hoop, a couple of residential telephone lines, and a car and then came to rest upside-down in a bush. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, the rudder, the firewall, and the engine mounts. In a written statement to the National Transportation Safety Board, a Florida State Trooper who responded to the scene of the accident reported in part that, about 6:38 pm, he was dispatched to an aircraft crash on Plantation Ave in Tavernier. Upon his arrival, he observed a yellow and white airplane bearing the tail number N705RP upside down in a driveway. He identified the pilot by his pilot license. The pilot was standing by a crowd of people uninjured, and the pilot reported that he had been the only person on the airplane. The trooper reported that he asked the pilot what happened, and the pilot responded ,"This is my first time down here at this landing strip and I thought that the side road (Plantation Ave) was the runway". The pilot further told the trooper that there were no mechanical or weather issues as he was attempting to land. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe photographs of the wreckage provided by the Federal Aviation Administration showed that the airplane came to rest upside-down in a bush in a residential area. Both wings and the rudder sustained substantial damage from impact. The airframe and engine were not examined by the National Transportation Safety Board. The private pilot was landing the experimental, amateur-built airplane at a residential airpark. Immediately following the accident, a state trooper interviewed the pilot, who stated that the landing was his first one at the residential airpark and that he thought that the side road was the runway. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical or weather issues as he was attempting to land. The airplane struck three mailboxes, a basketball hoop, phone lines, and a car and then came to rest inverted.  In a later statement, the pilot reported that, during landing, he noticed a car off the side of the runway on a parallel access road. He was concerned with the proximity of the car to his intended landing area, and he executed a go-around. With dusk approaching, he decided to make an "abbreviated" traffic pattern and "circle back around" to land on the runway. He applied full power, began the turn, and reported that the engine "backfired." The airplane did not climb normally, and as the pilot turned the airplane, it was unable to gain sufficient altitude for the pilot to maintain sight of the runway. Given the pilot's statement, it is likely that he misidentified the parallel access road for the runway and, upon landing, hit multiple obstacles. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Knowledge-Knowledge of geographic area-Pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Psychological-Perception/orientation/illusion-Situational awareness-Pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Flight planning/navigation-Pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Low light-Effect on personnel
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wire-Contributed to outcome
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Pole-Contributed to outcome