Stewart 51 INC. S-51D accident near Vero Beach, Florida, April 18, 1998
On April 18, 1998 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Stewart 51 INC. S-51D, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N51S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vero Beach, Florida (Vero Beach Municipal airport). 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 maintenance personnel failure to remove a plastic plug from the oil tank breather that resulted in the rupture of the engine oil tank. Factors were, a tailwind during the emergency landing, and a ditch on the departure end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 1998 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Vero Beach, Florida · Vero Beach Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stewart 51 INC. S-51D, amateur-built
- Registration
- N51S · no longer on the register · serial 013
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was on climb out when the pilot experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot radioed the air traffic control tower and reported the engine problem. The pilot was cleared for a downwind emergency landing on runway 29R. The airplane landed on the first 1/3 of the runway, and rolled off the departure end of the 3500 foot long paved surface, and collided with a ditch. The examination of the engine assembly disclosed that the engine oil tank was ruptured; there was no oil recovered from the engine lubrication system. The examination of the oil tank assembly disclosed that a plastic plug blocked the oil tank breather line. According to the operator of the airplane, the oil tank had been removed, and was painted several days prior to the accident. During the painting operation, all holes, in the tank, including the oil tank breather line, were covered with plastic plugs.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,413 hours in all; 386 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 2,302 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 436 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 1998; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Chevrolet GIVL-502 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29R, 3,504 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from VRB, 360 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.
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.