Amateur-built BUCCANEER SX accident near Wagoner, Oklahoma, May 29, 2014
On May 29, 2014 at about 1:27 am local time, a 1990 amateur-built BUCCANEER SX, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Wagoner, Oklahoma (Hefner-Easley Airport). It was flown under rules the NTSB did not record. 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control following a loss of engine power during takeoff. Contributing was the pilot's inadequate fuel management that led to fuel starvation/exhaustion and the loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2014 · about 1:27 am local time
- Place
- Wagoner, Oklahoma · Hefner-Easley Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BUCCANEER SX, built 1990
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial NO DATA PLATE
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · rules the NTSB did not record
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On May 28, 2014, at 2027 central standard time, an unregistered experimental amateur-built Buccaneer SX, impacted terrain after a loss of engine power and aerodynamic stall during takeoff phase of a touch-and-go landing at Hefner-Easley Airport, Wagoner (H68), Oklahoma, when the engine lost engine power due to fuel exhaustion/starvation. The airplane received substantial damage to the fuselage. The uncertificated pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was had been owned and operated by the pilot for approximately two years. The local flight originated from H68 about 1945. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the airplane, powered by a Rotax (serial number 6025420) engine, was about 100 feet above the ground after takeoff when the engine quit due to fuel depletion. The pilot estimated that there was about 8 gallons of fuel on board and stated that the fuel gauge was inoperative. The Hobbs meter indicated 1,972 hours, and the pilot thought that the meter was inoperative. The pilot stated the he did not know his total flight time in the accident airplane.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel starvation during takeoff
- Fuel exhaustion during takeoff
- Loss of lift during takeoff
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- factor Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Qualification/certification › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel indication system › Inoperative
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Record › keeping › Pilot logs › Pilot
Pilot
- Flight time: 11 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Wagoner OK
- Destination: Wagoner OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,401 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 040° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on August 11, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Police Report | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Correspondence - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Correspondence - FAA (2) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.