- Date
- June 17, 1985, 19:30 local (Jun 18, 1985, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Charles, LA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4438VTeratorn Tierra II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 21583
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 acft impacted the terrain in an uncontrolled descent. Witnesses stated the acft was participating in a bean bag drop contest when the accident occurred. After dropping the last bag the acft made a turn to the west, entered a spin and descended to ground impact. The plt's daughter reported the plt had been feeling ill and was unusually thirsty during the 2 days prior to the accident. The coroner reported in the autopsy, '... The deceased was suffering from severe myocardial ischemia or an early myocardial infraction. The subsequent developement of a myocardial arrythmia or cardial arrest infraction could have resulted in a sudden loss of control of the aircraft with subsequent crash.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4438V
- Reported as
- Teratorn Tierra II
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 3449749
- Engine
- Rotax 503, 50 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Elwin Leroy Faulk, Sr
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- LA21 · Lake Charles, LA
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
- 56
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 93 total · 93 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg