At about 17:00 EST, an amateur-built Rocket II crashed into the Everglades after losing power. The pilot was killed and the passenger suffered serious injuries. The flight originated from Fort Lauderdale about 1:39 before the accident. The airplane was reported missing the next day and located that afternoon. The passenger stated they departed FLL at about 15:20. The final destination was Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, but the pilot decided to fly out over the Everglades and then return to FXE. They were flying in the vicinity of Willard Fish Camp at about 250 feet when the engine lost power. The pilot pulled back on the control stick to gain altitude and the airplane stalled. The injured passenger crawled through alligator infested swamp and spent the night at the fish camp.
Nov. 15, Coral Springs, Fla. / Rocket II
At about 17:00 EST, an amateur-built Rocket II crashed into the Everglades after losing power. The pilot was killed and the passenger suffered serious injuries. The flight originated from Fort Lauderdale about 1:39 before the accident. The airplane was reported missing the next day and located that afternoon. The passenger stated they departed FLL at about 15:20. The final destination was Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, but the pilot decided to fly out over the Everglades and then return to FXE. They were flying in the vicinity of Willard Fish Camp at about 250 feet when the engine lost power. The pilot pulled back on the control stick to gain altitude and the airplane stalled. The injure...
Key Takeaways:
- An amateur-built Rocket II crashed in the Everglades, killing the pilot and seriously injuring the passenger.
- The accident occurred after the engine lost power at 250 feet, leading the pilot to stall the aircraft while attempting to gain altitude.
- The seriously injured passenger survived by crawling through alligator-infested swamp to a fish camp, spending the night there.
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