Sharpe William L BUCCANEER II B accident near Mayo, FL
On January 14, 2017, a Sharpe William L BUCCANEER II B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Mayo, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 14, 2017
- Place
- Mayo, FL
- Aircraft
- Sharpe William L BUCCANEER II B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 30.121°N, 83.226°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170114X83817
Official records · ERA17FA088
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn January 14, 2017, about 1715 eastern standard time, an amphibious experimental amateur-built Buccaneer II B, N696FT, was substantially damaged after it impacted high voltage power lines and a river near Mayo, Florida. The sport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight. According to a friend, the pilot had flown to the Suwannee River in Blue Springs Park to meet him and camp next to the river for the night. The pilot landed to the north on the river, flying over power lines during the landing approach. About 20 minutes after the pilot landed, his friend arrived. The two spoke briefly; the friend told the pilot that he needed to retrieve a life vest that had floated downstream; the pilot offered to help after he finished unloading his airplane. The friend paddled downstream and subsequently heard the airplane takeoff. Multiple witnesses in the area of the accident site reported seeing the airplane take off northbound along the Suwannee River, complete a 180° left turn, descend below treetop level, and fly southbound over the river out of view. Shortly thereafter, witnesses reported hearing a loud "boom" followed by the engine "going quiet" and a power outage. One witness, who was located about 1 mile from the power lines, stated that he saw the airplane flying about 30-40 ft above the river when it "suddenly flipped backwards and then hit the wa
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to see and avoid power lines while flying at low altitude.
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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.
