Aeronca-Bubeck Irving BUBECK-AERONCA accident near Merritt Island, Florida, March 17, 2000
On March 17, 2000 at about 2:40 pm local time, a Aeronca-Bubeck Irving BUBECK-AERONCA, registered N6030T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Merritt Island, Florida (Merritt Island airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructors inadequate supervision of the dual student resulting in the student pushing forward on the control stick during a bounced landing until the aircraft impacted the runway, bounced, landed hard, and broke the main landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 2000 · about 2:40 pm local time
- Place
- Merritt Island, Florida · Merritt Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca-Bubeck Irving BUBECK-AERONCA BUBECK-AER
- Registration
- N6030T · registry record · serial IRV1997
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While the dual student was making a wheel landing, the aircraft bounced. The flight instructor applied full engine power for a go-around. The dual student pushed forward on the control stick at the same time. Before the flight instructor could take control, the aircraft impacted nose first on the runway. The aircraft bounced and touched down again, hard, breaking off the landing gear.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,274 hours in all; 116 in this make and model; 104 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 1,120 as pilot in command; 628 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 298 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 22, 1999; 99 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Merritt Island Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: COI at 2:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 3,601 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from COF, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N6030T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA00LA110.