- Date
- June 17, 1990, 13:44 local (18:44 UTC)
- Place
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N26TJSukhoi SU-26MX
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900617057169A
- Case key
- 23024
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 recover from the aerobatic maneuver and subsequent stall/spin, due to inadequate altitude. Fatigue may have been 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 plt of the russian built acft was participating in an aerobatic show, of which, he was the director. He had rprtd he was fatigued, that he had been under considerable pressure & that he might have to stop flying in the airshow. Drg the airshow, a vertical torque roll & tail slide were performed. Another torque roll & tail slid were then made that resulted in an inverted recovery. Finally, another torque roll & tail slide were performed that evolved in a 1-1/2 turn spin. Subsequently, the acft inpacted the gnd in about a 65 deg dscnt. No preimpact part failure or malfunction was fnd that would have resulted in the acdnt. The plt had engaged the smoke generator for the last mnvr & smoke engulfed the acft as the tail slide bgn. There was evidence the plt was operg the elevator ctl to recover before impact. He had been taking a beta blocker (propranolol), which had been prescribed with the warning of not to use before flt. A blood test showed 0.15 mcg/ml of propranolol, but no physical impairment was verified. Density alt was about 3800 ft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N26TJ
- Reported as
- Sukhoi SU-26MX
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 51-01
- Engine
- Vendeneyev M-14, 360 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jones, Tom D.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- OKC
- Airport
- OKC · Will Rogers World
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,500 total · 75 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 97 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OKC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.