- Date
- May 31, 1986, 13:18 local (17:18 UTC)
- Place
- Akron, OH
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N961ZBernard Darmstadt Daphne/Sdia
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860531019979A
- Case key
- 6975
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 acft was observed spiraling to the left from 500 ft AGL after takeoff. The spiral continued until the acft collided with a commercial bldg. Based on the autopsy report the plt died of natural causes declared to be cardiovascular collapse. The acft wreckage revealed no signs of malfunction or defects of a causal nature.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N961Z
- Reported as
- Bernard Darmstadt Daphne/Sdia (DAPHNE/SDI)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 2
- Airframe hours
- 3
- Engine
- Continental C-85-8, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Joseph A. Ruskauff
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 24, 1986 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- AKR · Akron, OH
- Airport
- AKR · Akron Fulton, runway 25, 6,004 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,878 total · 779 in this make and model · 1,847 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CAK, 7 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.