- Date
- February 23, 1990, 16:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Kalispell, MT
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N72517Heindenreich Fokker DR-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900223002639A
- Case key
- 17898
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in a stall. His lack of familiarity with this aircraft was a related factor.
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 pilot said he was making his first flight in this amateur built fokker tri-plane replica. Witnesses observed the aircraft on final approach for landing when it began a right turn. After turning about 180 degrees the aircraft entered a spin and crashed. The pilot said one or two of the wings stalled. An FAA inspector examined the wreckage & reported that he did not observe any physical evidence to explain the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N72517
- Reported as
- Heindenreich Fokker DR-1 (FOKKER DR-)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- H-1
- Engine
- Warner SCARAB, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James E. Smith
- Departed
- FCA
- Destination
- FCA
- Airport
- FCA · Glacier Park, runway 20, 8,000 × 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
- 50
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 500 total · 450 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.