NTSB Factual Report

On April 8, 1997, about 1200 eastern daylight time, an unregistered Basinski, Kolb MK3, experimental airplane, N128BB, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed while maneuvering in the vicinity of Winter Haven's Gilbert Field, Winter Haven, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was destroyed. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The flight originated from Lake Jessie abeam Browns Seaplane Base, Winter Haven, Florida, about 1 minute before the accident.

Witnesses located at Browns Seaplane Base, and boaters located on Lake Jessie, at Winter Haven, observed the airplane making touch-and-go landings to the lake. The airplane took off to the north and turned to the west. Blue and white colored smoke was observed coming from the vicinity of the engine. The airplane appeared to lose forward airspeed while in a climb at about 100 to 200 feet. The left wing dropped down between 45 to 90 degrees, the airplane entered a spin to the left, colliding with a house trailer and the ground.

The wreckage of N128BB was located in the front yard of a private residence located at 46 Bream Street, Winter Haven, Florida.

Examination of the crash site revealed the airplane collided with a private residence in a nose down attitude. The right outboard wing tip collided with the front porch, and the airplane rotated around its vertical axis to the right coming to rest on a heading of 250 degrees magnetic. The right wing was compressed aft and the wing tip was bent up. An oil film covered the leading edge of the tail section. Two of the three composite propeller blades sustained impact damage. All propeller blades were attached to the propeller flange. The remaining propeller blade was cut by rescue personnel to assist in the recovery of the airplane. The left and right fuel tanks were not ruptured, and about 2.5 gallons of fuel remained in each fuel tank. The Second Chance ballistic parachute recovery system had not been activated.

Examination of the airframe and flight control assembly revealed no evidence of a precrash mechanical failure or malfunction. Continuity of the flight control assembly was confirmed for pitch, roll, and yaw.

Examination of the engine assembly and accessories revealed no evidence of a precrash mechanical failure or malfunction. Continuity of the engine and valve drain was confirmed. Compression was present on all cylinders. The oil sump return line was disconnected from the oil sump. The oil sump was empty, and the stainless steel clamp on the oil return line was loose.

Review of the airplane logbooks was not accomplished. The wife of the deceased pilot stated she has not been able to locate the logbooks after the car was driven back to Pennsylvania by a friend.

Postmortem examination of the pilot was conducted on April 9, 1997, by Dr. Alexander Melamud, Chief Associate Medical Examiner, District 10, Bartow, Florida. The cause of death was multiple injuries. Postmortem toxicology studies of specimens from the pilot were performed by Wuesthoff Memorial Hospital, Rockledge, Florida. These studies were negative for alcohol, basic, acidic, and neutral drugs.

The wreckage of N128BB was released to Lieutenant. Joel Bennett, Winter Haven Police Department, Winter Haven, Florida, on April 8, 1997. The pilot logbooks were returned Mrs. Paula K. Lee, wife of the deceased pilot on April 25, 1997.

NTSB Probable Cause

failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed after an oil leak occurred, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and subsequent collision with a residence and the terrain. The oil leak and the pilot's diverted attention were related factors.