NTSB CAROL · Event
Event MIA07LA058
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed resulting in an inadvertent stall, uncontrolled descent, and in-flight collision with terrain. A factor in the accident was the loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On February 27, 2007, about 1030 central standard time, an unregistered Kolb Mark III, experienced an in-flight loss of control and crashed in a marsh/swampy area near Panama City, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal (CFR) Part 91, local, personal flight from Sandy Creek Airpark, Panama City, Florida. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial-rated pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The flight originated about 1018, from Sandy Creek Airpark. A witness on the departure airport reported to the FAA inspector-in-charge that the pilot departed without warming up the engine, and during the takeoff, the airplane barely cleared trees past the departure end of the runway. There were no known witnesses to the accident but examination of the accident site, which was located approximately 2 miles east-southeast of the departure airport, revealed the airplane descended nearly vertical.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot was the holder of a commercial pilot certificate with ratings airplane single engine land and sea, and multi-engine land. The latest certificate was issued on October 12, 2000. He was issued a third class medical certificate on May 12, 2004, with a restriction to wear corrective lenses. The application for his last medical certificate indicated his total time was 2,000 hours.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The airplane was designed by The New Kolb Aircraft Company as model Mark III Classic. The airplane was not registered and the serial number is unknown. The airplane was equipped with a Rotax 582 engine rated at 65 horsepower. The 2-cylinder, 2-stroke, dual carbureted engine is liquid cooled with rotary valve inlet, electronic dual ignition, and dual circuit cooling system with integrated water pump and thermostat.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
A surface observation weather report taken at Panama City-Bay County International Airport (KPFN), Panama City, Florida, on the day of the accident at 1053, or approximately 23 minutes after the accident, indicates the wind was from 300 degrees at 5 knots, the visibility was 10 statute miles, clear skies existed, the temperature and dew point were 73 and 51 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively, and the altimeter setting was 29.96 inHg. The accident site was located 122 degrees and 14.88 nautical miles from KPFN.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The airplane crashed in a marsh/swamp area; the wreckage was located at 30 degrees 05.603 minutes North latitude and 085 degrees 25.951 minutes West longitude, or approximately 1.6 nautical miles and 112 degrees from the last departure point (Sandy Creek Airpark). Examination of the accident site by an FAA airworthiness inspector revealed the airplane descended at a steep angle. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Examination of the fuel system revealed the plastic tanks located behind the seats contained approximately 9 gallons of fuel, and a fuel tank in the center of the wings was empty. The fuel selector was positioned to the plastic tanks. Examination of the engine revealed crankshaft continuity. Rotation of the engine was confirmed by activation of the ignition switch. Fuel was noted in the carburetor bowls, and the fuel inlet screen was clean. Examination of the spark plugs revealed all were "OK." Examination of the propeller revealed minor damage (nick) to one of the propeller blades.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
Postmortem examinations of the pilot and passenger were performed by the District Fourteen Medical Examiner's Office. The cause of death for both was listed as blunt trauma. Toxicology analysis of specimens of the pilot was performed by the FAA Toxicology and Accident Research Laboratory (CAMI), located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and also by the University of Florida Diagnostic Reference Laboratories (University of Florida). The results of analysis by CAMI was negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, volatiles, and tested drugs. The results of analysis by University of Florida was negative for volatiles and the comprehensive drug screen. The carboxyhemoglobin saturation was less than 1 percent. Toxicological analysis of specimens of the passenger was performed by University of Florida. The results of analysis was negative for volatiles. The comprehensive drug screen was negative in the submitted blood specimen. An unquantified amount of metoprolol was detected in the urine. The carboxyhemoglobin saturation was less than 1 percent.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The NTSB did not retain any components. A witness reported to the FAA investigator in charge that the pilot departed without warming up the engine, and during the takeoff, the airplane barely cleared trees past the departure end of the runway. There were no known witnesses to the accident but examination of the accident site, which was located approximately 2 miles east-southeast of the departure airport, revealed the airplane descended nearly vertical. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. Examination of the propeller revealed minor damage (nick) to one of the propeller blades. An adequate supply of fuel was noted in the airplane's plastic fuel tank, and fuel was noted in the carburetor bowls. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2007_MIA07LA058.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall, loss of control). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Semantic Scholar 2016 · Article (Interacción)
Trajectory Recovery System: Angle of Attack Guidance for Inflight Loss of Control
This paper describes the design and development of an ecological display to aid pilots in the recovery of an In-Flight Loss of Control event due to a Stall (ILOC-S).
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Reports 2010 · Accident report
Loss of Control on Approach — Colgan Air Flight 3407
Colgan Air 3407 / Continental Connection (Q400) Buffalo NY, February 12, 2009 — 50 fatalities. Definitive investigation of the Colgan 3407 stall-stick-pusher crash on approach to Buffalo.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2025 · Journal article (JAAER)
A Scoping Review of Aviation Loss of Control Inflight Research
Loss of control – inflight (LOC-I) contributes to aircraft accidents at unacceptably high rates. Significant industry efforts and research have aimed to improve LOC-I prevention, detection, and recove…
- arXiv 2025 · arXiv preprint
Quadratic Programming Approach to Flight Envelope Protection Using Control Barrier Functions
Ensuring the safe operation of aerospace systems within their prescribed flight envelope is a fundamental requirement for modern flight control systems.
- SKYbrary (Eurocontrol) 2024 · SKYbrary article
Loss of Control In-Flight (LOC-I) — SKYbrary Knowledge Base
SKYbrary comprehensive knowledge-base entry on Loss of Control In-Flight — definitions, contributing factors, accident case studies (Air France 447, Colgan 3407), and prevention strategies.
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