| Crash location | 29.000000°N, 81.000000°W
Reported location is a long distance from the NTSB's reported nearest city. This often means that the location has a typo, or is incorrect. |
| Nearest city | Ocklawaha, FL
29.042759°N, 81.929250°W 56.2 miles away |
| Tail number | N29909 |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 28 Sep 2017 |
| Aircraft type | Waco Upf 7 |
| Additional details: | None |
On September 28, 2017, about 1909 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Waco UPF 7, N29909, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing to wooded terrain after a total loss of engine power about 1.5 miles south of the Woods and Lakes Airpark (FA38), near Oklawaha, Florida. The commercial pilot/owner was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot stated that while maneuvering, one of the engine's magnetos failed followed shortly after by the other magneto resulting in a total loss of engine power. He said that he tried to reach FA38, but realized he was not going to make it so he "surfed" the airplane into the tree tops. The pilot said he made a successful landing and the airplane came to rest gently in the trees before it nosed over and fell 60 ft to the ground and came to rest on its nose with the tail section sticking straight up in the air.
The pilot held a commercial certificate for airplane single-engine land and sea, and instrument airplane. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second-class medical was issued on October 6, 2016. At that time, he reported a total of 2,746 flight hours.
Weather at The Villages (VVG), The Villages, Florida, about 11 miles south of the accident site, at 1930, was reported as calm wind, visibility 10 miles, and clear skies.