Amateur-built unknown accident near Manatee, Florida, March 3, 2000
On March 3, 2000 at about 10:20 pm local time, a amateur-built unknown, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Manatee, Florida (Redder Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's impairment due to the use of unapproved medication which led to loss of control in flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 3, 2000 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Manatee, Florida · Redder Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built unknown
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to witnesses at the accident site, the airplane was about 80 feet above the runway, on final approach to land, when it suddenly nosed into the ground. Both witnesses reported that the engine appeared to have been operating prior to impact. The toxicology report indicated that propoxyphene, amitriptyline, and a high level of diphenhydramine were found in the pilot's blood. Propoxyphene is a prescription narcotic painkiller known to impair cognitive performance. Amitriptyline is a sedating antidepressant. Diphenhydramine is an over-the-counter sedating antihistamine. The pilot had no current FAA medical certificate.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 22 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Bombardier 3945879 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Manatee FL
- Runway 27, 3,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 300° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from MCF, 45 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.