- Date
- November 16, 1987, 14:52 local (19:52 UTC)
- Place
- Placida, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N44JMMandley Steen Skybolt
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871116069269A
- Case key
- 32091
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
When attempting to start the eng the plt heard it backfire & then observed smoke coming from under the eng cowling. He then immediately exited the acft & left the scene to summon the fire department. He later returned to find the aircraft consumed by fire. The aircraft was not equipped with a fire extinguisher, and no fire guard was posted outside the acft during the eng start. It is considered good general practice to continue motoring the eng after a backfire to blow existing fire out of the eng area through the exhaust system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44JM
- Reported as
- Mandley Steen Skybolt (STEEN SKYB)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1
- Airframe hours
- 865
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ledward, Richard
- Registered owner
- Ledward, Richard
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Destination
- X14 · Labelle, FL
- Airport
- X54 · Rotonda
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
- 62
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 5,481 total · 37 in this make and model · 5,285 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FMY, 26 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.