Crash location | 27.988889°N, 82.018334°W |
Nearest city | Lakeland, FL
28.039465°N, 81.949804°W 5.4 miles away |
Tail number | N11798 |
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Accident date | 19 Apr 2007 |
Aircraft type | Monocoupe Aircraft 90A |
Additional details: | None |
According to the pilot, as he flared the Monocoupe 90A for landing, the setting sun "got into [his] eyes," and he misjudged the airplane's height above the runway. He flared "too high," the airplane "stalled," rolled to the right, and impacted a ditch that was parallel to the runway. The pilot reported he could have prevented the accident by increasing his approach to landing speed and initiating the flare closer to the ground.
The pilot's improper flare and failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in a stall and subsequent loss of control. A factor was the sun glare.