What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The private pilot departed the cek airport enroute to his brother?s farm located 3 miles southwest of Cortland, Nebraska. The airman had one passenger on board and flew at an altitude of 1000 feet AGL. Once at the farm, the airman proceeded to overfly the property three times making several steep turns in the process. During these maneuvers, the altitude of the aircraft varied between 50 and 500 feet AGL. On the third pass, the airman pitched the aircraft up to a steep climb on a southwest heading up to an altitude of 500 feet AGL, before making a sharp turn toward the north. The aircraft then suddenly pitched nose down and descended rapidly toward the ground with the wings wobbling back and forth several times. The aircraft recovered briefly to a level flight attitude, before entering a descending right turn and impacting a harvested bean field. The aircraft hit the ground three times before coming to rest 100 feet from the initial impact area and a post-crash fire consumed the aircraft. The airman and passenger where fatally injured in the crash and the aircraft was destroyed.
As the FAA filed it
THE PRIVATE PILOT DEPARTED THE CEK AIRPORT ENROUTE TO HIS BROTHER?S FARM LOCATED 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CORTLAND, NEBRASKA. THE AIRMAN HAD ONE PASSENGER ON BOARD AND FLEW AT AN ALTITUDE OF 1000 FEET AGL. ONCE AT THE FARM, THE AIRMAN PROCEEDED TO OVERFLY THE PROPERTY THREE TIMES MAKING SEVERAL STEEP TURNS IN THE PROCESS. DURING THESE MANEUVERS, THE ALTITUDE OF THE AIRCRAFT VARIED BETWEEN 50 AND 500 FEET AGL. ON THE THIRD PASS, THE AIRMAN PITCHED THE AIRCRAFT UP TO A STEEP CLIMB ON A SOUTHWEST HEADING UP TO AN ALTITUDE OF 500 FEET AGL, BEFORE MAKING A SHARP TURN TOWARD THE NORTH. THE AIRCRAFT THEN SUDDENLY PITCHED NOSE DOWN AND DESCENDED RAPIDLY TOWARD THE GROUND WITH THE WINGS WOBBLING BACK AND FORTH SEVERAL TIMES. THE AIRCRAFT RECOVERED BRIEFLY TO A LEVEL FLIGHT ATTITUDE, BEFORE ENTERING A DESCENDING RIGHT TURN AND IMPACTING A HARVESTED BEAN FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE GROUND THREE TIMES BEFORE COMING TO REST 100 FEET FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT AREA AND A POST-CRASH FIRE CONSUMED THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRMAN AND PASSENGER WHERE FATALLY INJURED IN THE CRASH AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.