- Date
- July 25, 1990, 19:55 local (Jul 26, 1990, 00:55 UTC)
- Place
- Oshkosh, WI
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7147WCustom Aerotech White Lightning
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900725029119A
- Case key
- 14542
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-in-command's failure to maintain airspeed to avoid loss of control of the aircraft.
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 high performance amateur built aircraft was observed to be on downwind to runway 27. Witnesses saw the aircraft enter a maneuver to extend/maintain separation from aircraft it was following. During this maneuver the aircraft was observed to depart controlled flight, enter a spin, and impact a lake. The pilot-in-command had approximately 50 hours total time in this aircraft. He had told witnesses prior to this flight that he did not want to fly the aircraft in heavy traffic because he did not want to have to operate the aircraft in a slow flight regime.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7147W
- Reported as
- Custom Aerotech White Lightning (WHITE LIGH)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 122
- Engine
- Continental IO-360, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Custom Aerotech
- Departed
- 1C1 · Paxton, IL
- Airport
- OSH · Wittman Field, runway 27, 6,166 × 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,100 total · 50 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- OSH, 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.