- Date
- March 31, 1987, 15:50 local (23:50 UTC)
- Place
- San Luis Obispo, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N792JBBowers Flybaby 1A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 7, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870331007919A
- Case key
- 25347
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
During a pleasure flt in an experimental acft, during the takeoff roll, the eng sputtered, however, the plt continued the flt. After takeoff at aprx 30 ft the eng sputtered again. The plt made a sharp 45 deg turn which put him on downwind, however, the acft was kept in a nose high attitude. At aprx 300 ft the eng sputtered again then quit. The left wing dropped and the acft completed one turn and impacted the terrain in a 70 deg nose down attitude. There were no mechanical failures or malfunctions reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N792JB
- Reported as
- Bowers Flybaby 1A
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 67-48
- Airframe hours
- 1,138
- Engine
- Continental A75-8, 75 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Weir, Kurt
- Registered owner
- Kurt Weir
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · February 20, 1987 · 2 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 219 total · 30 in this make and model · 151 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °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.