- Date
- March 31, 1986, 14:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- St. Louis, MO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N106DCDonald R. Casper Skyote
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860331008329A
- Case key
- 34060
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 pilot built the homebuilt airplane from data obtained from skyote aeromarine ltd. at the time of the accident, the airplane had 51 hours on it and the pilot/builder had flown all of the 51 hours. On this flight he was observed to depart on runway 16, fly out for over a mile, make an abrupt 180 degree turn with the wings banked 90 degrees. The wings were leveled for several seconds and then the airplane entered a left nosedown spiral. After one complete turn, the airplane stopped turning but continued in a 70 to 80 degrees nosedown attitude until it could no longer be seen due to trees in the line of sight. The airplane impacted in a wide open, level field, almost straight down. No preimpact problems with the airplane could be found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N106DC
- Reported as
- Donald R. Casper Skyote
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 23
- Airframe hours
- 51
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235C2C, 108 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Donald R. Casper
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 19, 1985 · 25 hours before
- Airport
- 1HO · Creve Coeur
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,046 total · 51 in this make and model · 1,021 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 15 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STL, 7 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.