Amateur-built FREEBIRD SPORT accident near Englewood, Florida, April 26, 1998
On April 26, 1998 at about 9:43 pm local time, a amateur-built FREEBIRD SPORT, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Englewood, Florida (Buchan 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 inadvertent aerodynamic stall, and subsequent loss of control in-flight by the non-certificated pilot. A factor was the use of over the counter drugs which are known to cause drowsiness.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 1998 · about 9:43 pm local time
- Place
- Englewood, Florida · Buchan Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built FREEBIRD SPORT FREEBIRD S
- 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
A non-registered FreeBird Sport homebuilt airplane collided with a house and subsequently the ground while on left base to runway 030 at the Buchan Airport in Englewood, Florida. The airplane was operated by a non-certificated pilot. A witness who was a pilot stated that he saw the airplane takeoff from Buchan Airfield. He said the airplane was in the air for about 3 to 5 minutes and then the engine sputtered. He said the airplane then went upside down and fell straight into the ground. Another witness, the cousin of the pilot stated that he was taking pictures of the airplane. He said it didn't appear that the pilot was having any difficulty with the airplane when it suddenly went upside down and fell straight to the ground. According to the FAA's Toxicological report the pilot had a high level of Diphenhydramine in the blood which would cause drowsiness.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax BOMBARDIER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X36 at 9:33 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 2,756 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from PGD, 18 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.