Amateur-built Buccaneer II accident near Pell City, Alabama, July 17, 2003
On July 17, 2003, a amateur-built Buccaneer II, registered N9110T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pell City, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the throttle cable due to fatigue resulting in a loss of engine power. Factor were uphill rough and uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2003
- Place
- Pell City, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Buccaneer II
- Registration
- N9110T · no longer on the register · serial B2B-KO63
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was in cruise flight when the airplane experienced a loss of engine power. An engine restart was unsuccessful and a forced landing was made to an open field which ran up slope. Examination of the airplane revealed the throttle cable had broken and the left main landing gear had separated. Further examination of the throttle cable by the NTSB Materials Laboratory revealed the cable had failed in fatigue.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 768 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 698 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 3, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 236 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 31, 2003; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 490 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PLR Pell City AL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 030° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from BHM, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N9110T 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.