History of Flight
On February 18, 2016, at about 1815 eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built Van's RV-7A airplane, registration N705RP, landed on a roadway and nosed over near the Tavernaero Park Airport (FA81) in Tavernier, Florida. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. 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 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from Marco Island Airport (MKY) in Marco Island, Florida, at about 1745.
The pilot reported conducting an approach to runway 8 when he observed a car off the side of the runway on a parallel access road. Concerned about the car's proximity to his intended landing area, he executed a go-around. With dusk approaching, he decided to make an abbreviated traffic pattern and circle back to land on the runway. He applied full power and began the turn, reporting that the engine backfired. The airplane did not climb normally, and during the turn, he could not gain sufficient altitude to keep the runway in sight.
The pilot circled back to the runway heading and saw what he believed were homes along the side of the runway threshold. The airplane remained unable to climb, but he expected the runway to appear after clearing a small block of homes. When the runway did not appear and the airplane could not climb, he committed to landing on a road two blocks south of and parallel to the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane struck three mailboxes, a basketball hoop, several residential telephone lines, and a car, then came to rest upside-down in a bush.
A Florida State Trooper responded to the scene at about 6:38 pm after being dispatched to an aircraft crash on Plantation Avenue in Tavernier. Upon arrival, he observed a yellow and white airplane bearing tail number N705RP upside down in a driveway. The pilot, identified by his pilot license, was standing uninjured among a crowd of people and stated he was the only person on board. When asked what happened, the pilot replied, "This is my first time down here at this landing strip and I thought that the side road (Plantation Ave) was the runway." He also told the trooper there were no mechanical or weather issues as he was attempting to land.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Photographs provided by the Federal Aviation Administration showed 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 National Transportation Safety Board did not examine the airframe or engine.