- Date
- January 14, 1997, 12:40 local (17:40 UTC)
- Place
- Sanibel, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N29986Waco UPF-7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 25, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970114000449A
- Case key
- 38203
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
A partial loss of engine power (rough running engine) for undetermined reason.
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 was in cruise flight at about 1,000 feet, when the engine began to run rough. He turned the carburetor heat on, and switched the fuel tanks with negative results. A forced landing was made to the beach. On landing rollout the airplane swerved to the left, and nosed over inverted into the ocean. Results of the engine assembly and accessories examination were inconclusive.
Factual narrative
On January 14, 1997, about 1240 eastern standard time, a Waco UPF-7, N29986, registered to Barnstormer Air Inc., operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 sightseeing flight, experienced a reported loss of engine rpm during cruise flight. The pilot made a forced landing to the beach in the vicinity of Sanibel, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The commercial pilot and two passengers reported no injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight originated from Fort Myers, Florida, about 25 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated that he was in cruise flight at about 1,000 feet, when the engine began to run rough. He turned the carburetor heat on and switched the fuel tanks with negative results. He made a forced landing downwind due to personnel on the beach. On landing rollout the airplane swerved to the left, nosed over into the water, and came to rest inverted.
Examination of the engine assembly and accessories was conducted by the FAA. The results of the examination were inconclusive .
Aircraft
- Registration
- N29986
- Reported as
- Waco UPF-7
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5483
- Airframe hours
- 2,404
- Engine
- Continental W-670, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Barnstormer Air Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 1, 1996 · 98 hours before
- Departed
- FMY · Fort Myers, FL
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,873 total · 1,016 in this make and model · 3,821 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 58 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FMY, 11 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.