- Date
- May 26, 1990, 20:13 local (May 27, 1990, 01:13 UTC)
- Place
- Tuskegee, AL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N633HAHispano Aviacion HA-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report April 13, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900526017419A
- Case key
- 8134
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Improper in-flight planning/decision by the pilot, and his failure to maintain altitude and clearance above the terrain, while perfoming low altitude, inverted flight. Factors related to the accident were: the lack of visual perception to the pilot at dusk (twilight), the pilot's overconfidence in his personal ability, and his lack of experience in this aircraft and type of operation.
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 plt had recently purchased the twin-eng jet acft & had planned to fly it in a pylon race at an annual fly-in. The pylon race was aborted due to poor visibility in twilight haze. The plt then made 3 high speed/low altitude fly-overs along rwy 13. During the 3rd fly-over, the acft was observed to roll to inverted flt. However, while flying inverted, it began to descend. Subsequently, it impacted the gnd beside rwy 13, while on a se hdg. The acft was extensively damaged by impact & gnd fire; the wreckage trail extended about 400 ft. witnesses rprtd the engs were running thru-out the mnvr until impact. Also, witnesses rprtd that when the acdnt occurred, there was some light in the west, but there was darkness to the east. The plt had only about 2 hrs of dual instruction in this acft, none of which was in aerobatics. No other flt time in this acft was verified, though he had 2 back seat flts in a similar make & model of acft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N633HA
- Reported as
- Hispano Aviacion HA-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E14A-33
- Engine
- Turbomeca MARBORE II, 880 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- James A. Butler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- 06A
- Airport
- 06A · Moton Field, runway 13, 5,003 × 100 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
- 28
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,021 total · 2 in this make and model · 849 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Observed at
- MGM, 40 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.