James Bruton FLYING FLEA
Plymouth, CT — October 6, 2016
Event Information
| Date | October 6, 2016 |
| Event Type | ACC |
| NTSB Number | ERA17LA007 |
| Event ID | 20161010X04452 |
| Location | Plymouth, CT |
| Country | USA |
| Coordinates | 41.63334, -73.04667 |
| Airport | WATERBURY |
| Highest Injury | SERS |
Aircraft
| Make | James Bruton |
| Model | FLYING FLEA |
| Category | AIR |
| FAR Part | 091 |
| Aircraft Damage | SUBS |
Conditions
| Light Condition | DAYL |
| Weather | VMC |
Injuries
| Fatal | 0 |
| Serious | 1 |
| Minor | 0 |
| None | 0 |
| Total Injured | 1 |
Event Location
Probable Cause
A partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
Full Narrative
On October 6, 2016, about 1700 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Flying Flea HM14/360, N83165, was substantially damaged during a forced landing after takeoff from Waterbury Airport (N41), Plymouth, Connecticut. The private pilot was seriously injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which originated from N41, about 1630.According to witnesses, the pilot was conducting touch-and-go landings. After about 30 minutes, the engine "sputtered" multiple times and the airplane subsequently descended into trees. The pilot was hospitalized, and according to his wife, he did not recall the accident.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that both wings separated from the fuselage. The airplane was equipped with a BMW R100 motorcycle engine. An undetermined amount of fuel was observed in the fuel tank and examination of the fuel system did not reveal any fuel contamination. An examination of the airframe did not reveal any anomalies and no further examination of the engine was performed.
About This NTSB Record
This aviation event was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). NTSB investigates all U.S. civil aviation accidents to determine probable cause and issue safety recommendations to prevent future accidents.