Amateur-built Stewart accident near Ocala, Florida, March 6, 2009
On March 6, 2009 at about 7:53 pm local time, a amateur-built Stewart, registered N551X, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Ocala, Florida. 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
A loss of engine power due to contamination and clogging of the fuel system by a post-assembly fuel tank sealant.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 2009 · about 7:53 pm local time
- Place
- Ocala, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Stewart S51D
- Registration
- N551X · registry record · serial 076
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About 6 years before the accident, the owner/pilot purchased the disassembled experimental amateur-built airplane from its builder, who had flown the airplane on multiple occasions. The pilot reassembled the airplane, and spent several months attempting to resolve fuel leaks in the airplane's integral wing tanks. Subsequent to the pilot's use of a slosh sealant in the fuel tanks, the engine lost power during two separate high-speed taxi tests, due to clogged fuel screens. The day prior to the accident, the pilot conducted his first flight in the airplane, which lasted about 18 minutes. During his second flight in the airplane, the pilot was fatally injured when the airplane impacted trees and terrain about 11 miles from his home airport, and a post-crash fire ensued. Many witnesses reported that the airplane was low, and that the engine sounded unusual. Five witnesses reported that the engine had stopped. Several witnesses reported that the airplane banked sharply in order to avoid a 500-foot-tall cell phone tower located about 500 feet from the impact location. Airplane assembly guidance specified the use of a commercial sealant called "Pro-Seal" during fuel tank assembly, but did not specify or prohibit the use of a slosh sealant, which was intended to be used after assembly. The technical information for the slosh sealant that was found in the pilot's hangar stated that the condition and cleanliness of the surface can affect sealant adhesion. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the interior surfaces of the wing bays that were used to contain fuel exhibited a charred brown/black material consistent with a fire-damaged internal tank coating. One in-tank fuel pickup finger screen was partially occluded by the material, but the pre-accident condition of the finger screen could not be determined.
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
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
- Fuel contamination during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel storage › Damaged/degraded
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel storage › Incorrect service/maintenance
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel distribution › Damaged/degraded
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tower/antenna (incl guy wires) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15 hours
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Chevrolet 612 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Ocala FL
- Destination: Ocala FL
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.34 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from OCF, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.