- Date
- September 14, 1992, 16:43 local (20:43 UTC)
- Place
- East Haddam, CT
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N561EKChampion 7KCAB
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920914037509A
- Case key
- 11736
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 decision to attempt an aerobatic maneuver without adequate altitude for recovery.
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 while the pilot was performing a low altitude pass, about 100 feet above the ground, over the runway. The flight was being videotaped by a friend of the pilot. Review of the videotape showed that the pilot attempted a 360 degree roll on the accident pass. The nose of the airplane remained high through the first 180 degrees of the roll, however, once inverted, the nose dropped and the airplane descended. The airplane impacted the runway in a 53 degree nose down attitude after completing 330 degrees of the roll.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N561EK
- Reported as
- Champion 7KCAB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 174
- Airframe hours
- 1,457
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-E2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John S. Hendry
- Registered owner
- John S. Hendry
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 23, 1992 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- 42B
- Destination
- 42B
- Airport
- 42B · Goodspeed, runway 14, 2,000 × 50 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
- 40
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 9,800 total · 8,600 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HFD, 1 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.