What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Acft departed to west, reversed dirction, at end of rwy entered aerobatic maneuver, engine quit while in maneuver, unable to recover. 2 fatalities. (From .19) on may 29, 1999, at 1334 eastern daylight time, a homebuilt great lakes 2T-1AJ, N275J, was destroyed while maneuvering, after takeoff from the owner's private airstrip in painesville, Ohio. The certificated airline transport pilot and the passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed for the flight between painesville and geauga county airport (7G8), middlefield, Ohio. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR part 91. According to a federal aviation administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot and the passenger had met a day earlier, and the pilot had offered to take the passenger and his family up for airplane rides. The pilot first flew the other members of the passenger's family in another airplane, then departed with the passenger in the accident airplane. The airplane took off toward the west, then doubled back and made a high speed pass, followed by what appeared to be a roll. Several witnesses stated they heard the engine bac kfire, then go silent, then regain power. The airplane disappeared below a tree line, and the witnesses then heard the sound of the impact. At the accident site, the FAA inspector found tree limbs cut in a descending path, and that the airplane's wooden propeller had splintered. There was a strong odor of fuel in the area, and the throttle and mixture were found in the full forward position. (-23) on 05/29/1999, at approx. 1330 EDT, the aircraft departed in a westerly direction from owner's/pilot's private sod airfield. A reversal in direction was executed, the aircraft entered the airstrip from the north at midfield at approx. 100' AGL. Just past midfiled, at approx. 20' AGL in an easterly direction, a climb was initiated and a aileron roll to the left followed shortly, just past the end of the airstrip at approx. 200' AGL. During the last 90 degrees of the roll, directional and pitch control was lost. The aircraft contacted tree tops and impacted the ground approx. 1/4 to 1/2 mile east of the airstrip. The pilot and passenger received fatal injuries, the aircraft was destroyed. (.4) the airplane struck trees while performing low-level aerobatic flight. According to 14 c fr part 91, 'no person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight...below an altitude of 1,500 feet above the surface....'
As the FAA filed it
ACFT DEPARTED TO WEST, REVERSED DIRCTION, AT END OF RWY ENTERED AEROBATIC MANEUVER, ENGINE QUIT WHILE IN MANEUVER, UNABLE TO RECOVER. 2 FATALITIES. (FROM .19) ON MAY 29, 1999, AT 1334 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A HOMEBUILT GREAT LAKES 2T-1AJ, N275J, WAS DESTROYED WHILE MANEUVERING, AFTER TAKEOFF FROM THE OWNER'S PRIVATE AIRSTRIP IN PAINESVILLE, OHIO. THE CERTIFICATED AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT AND THE PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE FLIGHT BETWEEN PAINESVILLE AND GEAUGA COUNTY AIRPORT (7G8), MIDDLEFIELD, OHIO. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. ACCORDING TO A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) INSPECTOR, THE PILOT AND THE PASSENGER HAD MET A DAY EARLIER, AND THE PILOT HAD OFFERED TO TAKE THE PASSENGER AND HIS FAMILY UP FOR AIRPLANE RIDES. THE PILOT FIRST FLEW THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PASSENGER'S FAMILY IN ANOTHER AIRPLANE, THEN DEPARTED WITH THE PASSENGER IN THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE TOOK OFF TOWARD THE WEST, THEN DOUBLED BACK AND MADE A HIGH SPEED PASS, FOLLOWED BY WHAT APPEARED TO BE A ROLL. SEVERAL WITNESSES STATED THEY HEARD THE ENGINE BAC KFIRE, THEN GO SILENT, THEN REGAIN POWER. THE AIRPLANE DISAPPEARED BELOW A TREE LINE, AND THE WITNESSES THEN HEARD THE SOUND OF THE IMPACT. AT THE ACCIDENT SITE, THE FAA INSPECTOR FOUND TREE LIMBS CUT IN A DESCENDING PATH, AND THAT THE AIRPLANE'S WOODEN PROPELLER HAD SPLINTERED. THERE WAS A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL IN THE AREA, AND THE THROTTLE AND MIXTURE WERE FOUND IN THE FULL FORWARD POSITION. (-23) ON 05/29/1999, AT APPROX. 1330 EDT, THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED IN A WESTERLY DIRECTION FROM OWNER'S/PILOT'S PRIVATE SOD AIRFIELD. A REVERSAL IN DIRECTION WAS EXECUTED, THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED THE AIRSTRIP FROM THE NORTH AT MIDFIELD AT APPROX. 100' AGL. JUST PAST MIDFILED, AT APPROX. 20' AGL IN AN EASTERLY DIRECTION, A CLIMB WAS INITIATED AND A AILERON ROLL TO THE LEFT FOLLOWED SHORTLY, JUST PAST THE END OF THE AIRSTRIP AT APPROX. 200' AGL. DURING THE LAST 90 DEGREES OF THE ROLL, DIRECTIONAL AND PITCH CONTROL WAS LOST. THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED TREE TOPS AND IMPACTED THE GROUND APPROX. 1/4 TO 1/2 MILE EAST OF THE AIRSTRIP. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES, THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. (.4) THE AIRPLANE STRUCK TREES WHILE PERFORMING LOW-LEVEL AEROBATIC FLIGHT. ACCORDING TO 14 C FR PART 91, 'NO PERSON MAY OPERATE AN AIRCRAFT IN AEROBATIC FLIGHT...BELOW AN ALTITUDE OF 1,500 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE....'
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.