- Date
- January 14, 1990, 16:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lawrence, KS
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4GBBurnett Starduster TOO
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900114000639A
- Case key
- 34926
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 misjudged clearance from tree(s) near the approach end of the runway, while on final approach to land. Factors related to the accident were: sunglare, lack of visual cues to the pilot, and tree(s).
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 commercial pilot said that while attempting to land his homebuilt biplane on his private strip, he was blinded by the setting sun and failed to clear a tree on final approach. The acft's right wing struck the tree, which caused the acft to yaw to the right & crash. The plt suffered a damaged vertebra, which required surgery.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4GB
- Reported as
- Burnett Starduster TOO (STARDUSTER)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 100
- Airframe hours
- 130
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Lburnett, Howard G.
- Registered owner
- Burnett, Howard G
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- LWC · Lawrence, KS
- Airport
- NONE · Private, runway 21, grass/turf
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
- 70
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 3,800 total · 130 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IXD, 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.
Other investigations on N4GB · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.