Amateur-built BUCCANEER II accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, August 1, 1994
On August 1, 1994 at about 2:20 pm local time, a amateur-built BUCCANEER II, registered N5296C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin (Vette Seaplane Base airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadvertent stall of the airplane. Factors were the tailwind condition and the pilot's inadequate compensation for the tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 1994 · about 2:20 pm local time
- Place
- Oshkosh, Wisconsin · Vette Seaplane Base · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BUCCANEER II BUCCANEER
- Registration
- N5296C · no longer on the register · serial B2B-F036
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was demonstrating the capabilities of the experimental amphibious airplane to the passenger. The pilot reported that during the initial climb following her second water touch-and-go landing, the airplane was approaching the trees on the edge of the lake. She attempted to turn but the airplane descended and impacted the water. A witness reported the airplane stalled and the wing struck the water.
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, flight engineer, military
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 234 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 196 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 382 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 pm from OSH, 5 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.