Bowers FLYBABY accident near Milton, FL
On October 19, 2018, a Bowers FLYBABY (airplane) was involved in an accident near Milton, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 19, 2018
- Place
- Milton, FL
- Aircraft
- Bowers FLYBABY · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 30.709°N, 86.771°W
- NTSB ID
- 20181019X34229
Official records · ERA19FA020
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 19, 2018, at 1000 central daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Bowers Flybaby, N107KW, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Milton, Florida. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight was conducted as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The owner of the airplane reported that the accident pilot was his friend and an experienced military and airline pilot. He stated that the pilot routinely flew the accident airplane to nearby airports to conduct touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. The owner reported that he assisted the pilot with the preflight inspection before the accident flight; they topped off the fuel tank with 12 gallons of fuel, then the owner "hand propped" the engine with the pilot in the cockpit and watched him depart the airport traffic pattern to the east. During takeoff and climb, the engine sounded "good and solid." Witnesses near the accident site stated that they heard the airplane's engine power increasing and decreasing. One witness stated that the airplane descended to about 100 ft above ground level, just above the treetops, when the wings started to rock back and forth. The airplane then made a left turn to the south, immediately rolled left and descended steeply until impact. An additional witness stated that he heard a "backfire" as the airplane was descending. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot had completed the requirements of BasicMed on June 19, 2018. The pilot's logbooks showed a total of 16 hours in the accident airplane make and model as of the last entry
Probable cause
A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined, and the pilot's subsequent exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall 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.
