- Date
- January 22, 1993, 17:30 local (Jan 23, 1993, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fountain Hills, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8LWWohlers Steen Skybolt
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930122000719A
- Case key
- 27909
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
The pilot's initiation of a low level aerobatic maneuver at an altitude insufficient to ensure adequate terrain clearance.
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
Five witnesses were on a bluff over looking the creek bed where the accident occurred. They observed the aircraft performing low level aerobatics over the creek bed at an altitude they estimated to be between 100 and 300 feet AGL. The aircraft entered a right aileron roll and collided with the ground in an inverted attitude prior to recovery.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8LW
- Reported as
- Wohlers Steen Skybolt (STEEN SKYB)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 01
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Joseph P. Cormier
- Registered owner
- Alan A. Tautkus
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- FFZ · Mesa, AZ
- Destination
- FFZ
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 600 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SDL, 20 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.