- Date
- July 27, 1985, 16:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- North Loup, NE
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9973QPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850727034629A
- Case key
- 33845
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 was observed flying low over the ground in the vicinity of where it eventually crashed. A witness aprx 1/2 mi from the crash site noticed the plane flying low over a corn field as though the student plt was practicing ag-acft type swath runs. (The acft was not equipped for such operations). At the end of each swath run, the acft was observed to pull up sharply. After the last pull-up, it rotated 180 deg at the top of the maneuver, then descended & impacted the ground where it burned & was demolished by fire. An exam of the wreckage revealed that the flt control connections were intact. There was evidence that the acft impacted in a near vertical descent.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9973Q
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 54-2630
- Engine
- Lycoming O-200-D, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gary L. Wells
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 10K · Scotia, NE
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
- 20
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ODX, 8 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.