- Date
- January 15, 1991, 10:52 local (15:52 UTC)
- Place
- Ellendale, DE
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N484MHHolmes Special S2C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910115063289A
- Case key
- 11654
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
The pilot's failure to recover from an aerobatic manuever in time to avoid inflight collision with the ground.
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
A witness reported the airplane was doing aerobatic manuevers when it crashed. According to a witness, the airplane was about 2000 feet MSL when he saw the airplane roll two and one half times, finishing in an inverted attitude. The airplane then entered a flat spin before it pitched down and descended. The witness stated the airplane stopped spinning and was beginning to level when it collided with the ground. The investigation did not reveal evidence of aircraft mechanical malfunction. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured and did not recall the details of the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N484MH
- Reported as
- Holmes Special S2C (SPECIAL S2)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001MH
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles R. Bradley
- Registered owner
- Milton N. Holmes
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 400 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBY, 999 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.