- Date
- August 10, 1999, 14:20 local (18:20 UTC)
- Place
- Tangerine, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N735BSWilliam John Schulz WJS Jaybird
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990810041459A
- Case key
- 47148
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 improper torqueing of a rocker arm adjusting jam nut, that resulted in the adjuster loosening, and a partial loss of engine power. This resulted in the pilot making an off airport precautionary landing and subsequent nose over, during which the aircraft received substantial damage.
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 enroute to Mid Florida Airport, Eustis, Florida, when a partial power loss and the inability to hold altitude necessitated a precautionary landing. The pilot said he executed a landing with a left quartering tailwind due to utility lines and trees blocking an approach into the wind. The aircraft bounced, and on the second bounce the right landing gear bent and the wind lifted the left wing. The aircraft slid, and slowly nosed over, coming to rest upside down, resulting in substantial damage to the aircraft. According to the pilot, the reason for engine power loss was due to insufficient torque on the jam nut exhaust valve adjuster (rocker arm) to number 4 cylinder.
Factual narrative
On August 10, 1999, about 1420 eastern daylight time, a William John Schulz WJS Jaybird, N735BS, registered to a private owner, operated as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed while attempting a precautionary landing in an open field in Tangerine, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the private-rated pilot was not injured. The flight originated from Bob White Field, Zellwood, Florida, about 1400, the same day.
The pilot stated that he was en route to Mid Florida Airport, Eustis, Florida, when a partial power loss and the inability to hold altitude necessitated a precautionary landing on a mowed lawn. The pilot said he executed a landing with a left quartering tailwind, due to utility lines and trees blocking an approach into the wind. The aircraft bounced, and on the second bounce the right landing gear bent and the wind lifted the left wing. The aircraft slid, and slowly nosed over, coming to rest upside down. The pilot further stated that the reason for engine power loss was due to his improper maintenance/installation by not having sufficient torque on the jam nut exhaust valve adjuster (rocker arm) to number 4 cylinder.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N735BS
- Reported as
- William John Schulz WJS Jaybird (WJS JAYBIR)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Airframe hours
- 5
- Engine
- Volkswagen TYPE 1, 50 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William John Schulz
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- X61 · Zellwood, FL
- Destination
- X55 · Eustis, 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
- 64
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 212 total · 3 in this make and model · 155 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MCO, 27 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.