- Date
- January 27, 1996, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Deland, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N26BGGilpatrick Baby Lakes
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 9, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960127001099A
- Case key
- 37976
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 misjudgment of distance and altitude, while on final approach to land, and his failure to attain the proper touchdown point for landing. The unfavorable wind condition (crosswind) was a related 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 stated he misjudged the wind, turned base leg, and noted that the airplane was not going to reach the end of the runway. He said he tried to stretch his glide, but before he could add power to stop the rate of descent, the airplane collided with the ground. Subsequently, the landing gear sheared off, and the airplane nosed over.
Factual narrative
On January 27, 1996, about 1100 eastern standard time, a Gilpatrick experimental airplane, N26BG, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed on landing at a private airport in the vicinity of Deland, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot reported minor injuries. The flight originated from New Smyrna Beach, Florida, about 1 hour 30 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated he misjudged the wind, turned base leg and noted he could not make the end of the runway, and tried to stretch his glide. Before he could add power to stop the rate of descent the airplane collided with the ground, sheared off the landing gear, nosed over, and came to rest inverted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N26BG
- Reported as
- Gilpatrick Baby Lakes
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 828-M-1020-B
- Airframe hours
- 40
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-D2, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert J. Gilpatrick
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- 33J · New Smyrna Bch, FL
- Destination
- NONE
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- Lafayette Landings, runway 16, 3,200 × 150 ft, grass/turf
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 487 total · 19 in this make and model · 384 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 9 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAB, 10 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.