Amateur-built Buccaneer 2 accident near Estero Bay, Florida, April 27, 2002
On April 27, 2002 at about 8:15 pm local time, a amateur-built Buccaneer 2, registered N8127W, was destroyed in an accident near Estero Bay, Florida. 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 failure to maintain aircraft control for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 2002 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Estero Bay, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Buccaneer 2
- Registration
- N8127W · no longer on the register · serial B2A047
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the airplane flying overhead between 150 to 200 feet. The airplane was observed to make a hard right turn estimated at more than a 45-degree right bank into a strong wind. The right wing dropped, the nose pitched down, and the airplane started spinning to the right before it collided with the water. Review of operating specifications for the experimental homebuilt Buccaneer amphibian airplane indicated that the stall speed is 25 mph. Due to the extent of damage to the airplane, the FAA inspector was unable to conduct an airframe, flight control, and engine assembly examination.
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
- Flight time: 265 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 44 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 560 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 447 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Estero Bay FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from RSW, 10 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.
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.