- Date
- May 27, 1989, 11:26 local (18:26 UTC)
- Place
- Rialto, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N90HSHolman/Sears HS-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890527012939A
- Case key
- 26122
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 sufficient airspeed, while turning after takeoff, which resulted in a stall/spin. Contributing factors were: improper planning/decision by the pilot by test flying an airplane that he was not properly certificated to operate, his lack of familiarity with the aircraft, and overconfidence in his personal ability.
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/co-owner had only a glider certificate, but he elected to fly the home built airplane on its maiden flight. After departing on runway 24, he initiated a right turn about 3/4 mile west of the airport. While turning at about 200 ft AGL, the airplane entered a spin & impacted the ground in a vertical descent. An investigation revealed the pilot had about 82 hrs of flight time, of which, aprx 25 hrs were in single engine airplanes.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N90HS
- Reported as
- Holman/Sears HS-1
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- N90HS
- Airframe hours
- 11
- Engine
- Ital-American KFM-107E, 30 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Sears, Howard
- Registered owner
- Holman, Howard L., Howard O.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 24, 1989
- Departed
- L67
- Airport
- L67 · Rialto, runway 24, 4,500 × 75 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
- 51
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 82 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RAL, 11 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.