# Accident 19980718029769A: Rkwell NA26580, Florence, KS, July 18, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 18, 1998, 16:22 local time
- Place: Florence, KS
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Practice Training Manuevers
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.2391° N, 96.9207° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.2391&lon=-96.9207&mi=10
- Aircraft: N547JL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N547JL-2012-05-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Rockwell International NA-265-80 (registry code 7630108, https://openairdocs.org/model/rockwell-international-na-265-80) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: RKWELL NA26580
- Reported engine: GE CF7002D2
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 10,000 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI98MA260](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98MA260) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980718029769A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.4) THE PILOT DROPPED OFF A PASSENGER AT NEWTON AIRPORT BEFORE CONTINUING THE FLIGHT. THE PASSENGER, WHO WAS A CONTRACT PILOT FOR THE COMPANY, REPORTED THERE HAD BEEN NO INDICATIONS OF ANY PROBLEM WITH THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT CONDUCTED A LOW PASS FOLLOWED BY A STEEP CLIMB TO 10,000 FEET WHEN HE DEPARTED NEWTON. SEVEN MINUTES LATER IN THE FLIGHT, THE CVR REVEALED THE PILOT STATING, `YOU'RE GOING TO PITCH UP NOW AND TAKE IT ALL THE WAY AROUND HERE.' THE PILOT SAID, `PITCH UP, TWENTY DEGREES UP.' AFTER THE PILOT CALLED FOR THE NOSE TO BE PITCHED UP, HE DID NOT MAKE ANY STATEMENTS FOR ABOUT 27 SECONDS. THEN THE PILOT STATED, `OH, JIM.' EIGHT SECONDS LATER THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND. RADAR DATA INDICATED THAT AIRPLANE'S ALTITUDE ABOUT THE TIME THE NOSE WAS PITCHED UP WAS 15,900 FEET MSL, AND IT IMPACTED THE GOUND ABOUT 37 SECONDS LATER. ALL FLIGHT CONTROL SURFACES WERE FOUND AT THE IMPACT SITE. NO MANEUVER IN THE PILOT'S MANUAL OR THE FAA'S COMMERCIAL TEST GUIDE REQUIRED THE NOSE TO BE PITCHED UP 20 DEGREES WHILE MAINTAINING 250 KNOTS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS CERTIFIED AS A TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRCRAFT AND WAS NOT CERTIFIED FOR AEROBATIC FLIGHT.                                           (-23) AIRCRAFT IMPACTED TERRAIN FOLLOWING VFR MANEUVERS AT 16,000 FEET. INVESTIGATION REMAINS OPEN. CVR REVIEWED BY NTSB.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI98MA260](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98MA260), Jul 18, 1998: North American NA-265-80 (N547JL), Florence, KS, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's overconfidence in his personal ability, his improper in-flight decision to attempt aerobatics, and his loss of control of the airplane.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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