Amateur-built BUCCANEER II accident near Millstone Twsp, New Jersey, May 16, 1995
On May 16, 1995 at about 11:00 pm local time, a amateur-built BUCCANEER II, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Millstone Twsp, New Jersey. 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
The loss of engine power due to the seizure of the number one cylinder pistion and the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 16, 1995 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Millstone Twsp, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BUCCANEER II BUCCANEER
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A WITNESS OBSERVED THE PILOT FLYING HIS TWO PLACE, UNREGISTERED, EXPERIMENTAL HOME BUILT AIRPLANE IN THE LOCAL AREA, AT AN ALTITUDE OF BETWEEN 200 TO 300 FEET AGL. THE WITNESS TURNED AWAY FROM THE AIRPLANE, AND WITHIN ONE MINUTE HEARD THE SOUND OF A CRASH. THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND IN AN OPEN FIELD WHERE IT HAD IMPACTED IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE, FATALLY INJURING THE PILOT. ACCORDING TO A WRITTEN REPORT FROM THE FAA, EXAMINATION OF THE NUMBER ONE CYLINDER REVEALED, '...SCORING ON CYLINDER WALLS ABOVE THE INTAKE AND EXHAUST PORTS...', AND '...PISTON SCORED ON THE SIDE UP THROUGH THE PISTON RINGS....' ADDITIONALLY, THE PILOT DID NOT POSSESS A PILOT CERTIFICATE OR MEDICAL CERTIFICATE.
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
- Flight time: 70 hours in all; 70 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 98 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 618 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 10:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 pm from TTN
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.
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.