Blackburn John D. Jr. BUSHBY M II accident near Daytona Beach, FL
On July 17, 1999, a Blackburn John D. Jr. BUSHBY M II (airplane) was involved in an accident near Daytona Beach, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 17, 1999
- Place
- Daytona Beach, FL
- Aircraft
- Blackburn John D. Jr. BUSHBY M II · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 29.171°N, 81.140°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X19155
NTSB summary
On July 17, 1999, at 1615 eastern daylight time, a Bushby M II experimental aircraft, N102JB, collided with the ground shortly after takeoff from the Spruce Creek Airport in Daytona Beach, Florida. The airplane was operated by the private pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local pleasure flight. The pilot received fatal injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was departing at the time of the accident. The pilot was flying the aircraft for its first flight following recent maintenance work that he performed on the engine to correct a misalignment of the alternator drive belt. Shortly after takeoff from runway 5, the airplane was seen by several witnesses in a climb. At approximately 700 feet above ground level (agl), the engine quit. One witness overheard the engine cease, followed by the sound of three to four backfirings. Another witness "saw the plane coming in fast, but heard no engines." He stated that "it looked like [the pilot] was trying to land [the airplane] in an open field... It came in low and was headed straight into the trees." The airplane was then lost from view into a gathering of pine trees. An on-scene investigation conducted by an FAA inspector. The airplane was located one-mile northeast of the airport in an area of pine trees standing 40 to 60 feet high. The left wing was found separated from the main fuselage embedded in a pine tree 40 feet above the ground approximately 50 feet from the main wreckage
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to securely reconnect the distributor coil wire during routine maintenance. Factors were the unsuitable terrain and trees.
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Browse: Florida
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
