- Date
- August 19, 1982, 18:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Swansea, SC
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1CJSmith Miniplane
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 19, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820819039609A
- Case key
- 72770
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was on a pleasure flight to practice aerobatic maneuvers. He held a current certificate of waiver which authorized him to practice low level aerobatics below 1500 ft above the surface. Four known witnesses observed the aircraft pull up from a low altitude, then fall and spin to the ground. One witness, a private pilot, roported that the pilot pulled the plane up, as if he was performing a loop. At the top of the climb, the nose came down, and reportedly, the plane began to spin inverted. During an investigation, no evidence of a malfunction or failure of the engine or airframe was found except for impact damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1CJ
- Reported as
- Smith Miniplane
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- LN-1
- Airframe hours
- 538
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-G4, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kenneth G. Moyer
- Registered owner
- Kenneth G. Moyer
- Departed
- SC13 · Darden Airport, SC
- Destination
- SC13 · Darden Airport, SC
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 62
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 35 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 187 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.