- Date
- June 24, 1987, 20:20 local (Jun 25, 1987, 00:20 UTC)
- Place
- Wadsworth, OH
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N86173Steen Skybolt
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report December 27, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870624026359A
- Case key
- 7228
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 accident occurred when the pilot was practicing aerobatics. The investigation disclosed that linkage control rods between the pilot's stick and the pitch elevator was broken. The evidence indicated that the failure was caused by a combination of inadequately specified structural design and improper fabrication. High stress levels resulted in fatigue cracking of the rear stick cross hole.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N86173
- Reported as
- Steen Skybolt
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 4745
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bernard W. Butkovich
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 15, 1987 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- 1G5 · Medina
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 837 total · 625 in this make and model · 710 as pilot in command · 88 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 30° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CLE, 18 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.