- Date
- February 3, 1988, 17:50 local (Feb 4, 1988, 00:50 UTC)
- Place
- Brighton, CO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1153APiper PA-18-125
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880203001819A
- Case key
- 17350
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 student pilot was observed by witnesses to 'buzz' the city of Brighton, Colorado. Witnesses stated that N1153A flew over houses and buildings at a very low altitude. The acft was then observed to climb to a high altitude, do a 'wing over' or 'hammerhead' manuever, then descend in a near vertical, nose down altitude. The acft remained in that attitude until ground impact. There was no evidence of a mech malfunction or failure of the acft prior to the impact. The student had written a ltr to a girlfriend expressing his 'unbelievable talent for flying.' The pilot had a total flight time of 18 hours.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1153A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-125
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-747
- Airframe hours
- 2,031
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290D, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John L. Kelly
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 11, 1987 · 27 hours before
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
- 18
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 18 total · 18 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.