- Date
- August 21, 1987, 08:24 local (12:24 UTC)
- Place
- Wilmington, DE
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N533BDBede BD5B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 10, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870821076639A
- Case key
- 11262
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to attain sufficient altitude to clear obstacles located off the departure end of the runway. His overconfidence in the homebuilt aircraft's performance was a contributing factor.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was conducting an initial test flight of his homebuilt aircraft. He stated that after takeoff the aircraft did not accelerate, and he was unable to climb to clear obstacles (trees) off the departure end of the runway. The aircraft impacted the top of the trees and fell to the ground. The pilot stated that 'the engine was running good, everything seemed ok....aircraft handled beautifully, but did not accelerate.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N533BD
- Reported as
- Bede BD5B
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 533
- Engine
- Kawasaki T-C-440 -A2D, 70 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James Coverdale
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · December 7, 1987 · 0 hours before
- Airport
- ILG · Greater Wilmington, runway 1, 7,100 × 200 ft, concrete
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 141 total · 114 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ILG, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.