Amateur-built Bakeng Duce accident near South Boston, Virginia, October 22, 2006
On October 22, 2006 at about 10:45 pm local time, a amateur-built Bakeng Duce, registered N91BK, was substantially damaged in an accident near South Boston, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a go-around, which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Contributing was the deteriorating weather and diminishing light conditions, the pilot's decision to take off despite the weather advisory, and the pilot's use of a painkiller and an antihistamine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 2006 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- South Boston, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Bakeng Duce
- Registration
- N91BK · no longer on the register · serial 638
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After being notified in an abbreviated weather briefing that a visual flight rules (VFR) flight was not advised, the non-instrument-rated private pilot took off in VFR conditions, and encountered deteriorating weather and diminishing light en route. The destination was to the south, but the pilot flew to the east for unknown reasons. At some point, the pilot felt he needed to land, and attempted to do so in an ultralight field. When he was unable to land, he attempted a go-around, during which, the airplane stalled and then impacted trees and terrain. Postmortem toxicology results were consistent with a relatively recent use of two prescription antidepressants, a prescription narcotic painkiller, also used for cough suppression, and an over-the-counter antihistamine commonly used for allergy symptoms and as a sleep aid. It is likely that the pilot was at least somewhat impaired by the painkiller and the antihistamine. There was no evidence that the FAA was aware of the pilot's use of medications.
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: private
- Flight time: 300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 300 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 1,730 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VA02 Ridgeway VA
- Destination: SIF Reidsville NC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
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.
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.