Pushkar HORNET N4376N

Summary

On 20 March 1999 at about 15:00 local time, a Pushkar HORNET registered N4376N was involved in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 March 1999 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

MacIvor Airstrip (NONE)

Coordinates

26.0602, -80.3700

Aircraft

Pushkar HORNET

Registration

N4376N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Pahokee

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA99FA108

1 person died.

the pilot's (owner/builder) inadvertent aerodynamic stall of the airplane after a total loss of engine power. Factors were the pilot's improper maintenance action and his lack of total experience in the airplane type.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in cruise flight and trailing behind another aircraft, the pilot reported a loss of engine power to the preceding pilot. Subsequently, the accident pilot reported there was no cylinder head temperature and the airplane had become a 'glider.' The preceding pilot reversed course and observed the accident airplane bank to the left, then descend nose first into the ground. Ground witnesses also observed the airplane turn left, then pitch nose down and descend into the ground. During the post crash examination of the engine, one rear cylinder spark plug was absent from the cylinder. The spark plug was recovered and an examination revealed that stripped cylinder thread material from the associated spark plug receptacle was lodged in the spark plug thread grooves. Maintenance records indicated that the pilot/owner/builder had replaced four spark plugs 1.5 hours prior to the accident flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.