- Date
- June 3, 1983, 10:58 local (14:58 UTC)
- Place
- Westfield, MA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5286NNorth American AT-6C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830603022569A
- Case key
- 35051
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 airline transport rated plt was on a low level, aerobatic waiver, competency check flt. He was scheduled to demonstrate a loop, an aileron roll, a split-s, an immelmann, a barrel roll & a 4-point hesitation roll. The minimum alt for these maneuvers was to be 500 ft AGL. For the most part, witnesses agreed the 1st 5 maneuvers were performed well, with minor exceptions. However, during the final maneuver, a 4-point roll to the left, the acft crashed. Most of the witnesses believed the plt started the maneuver below 500 ft AGL. Reportedly, at the 1st point of the roll, the nose had begun to drop. At the 2nd point (inverted), the nose had dropped thru the horizon to perhaps 10 deg low. One experienced plt reported the acft dished out from about the 3rd point. Subsequently, the plane impacted in a somewhat nose low, right wing low attitude. There were indications that up elevator & right rudder were applied just before impact. The plt had aprx 500 hrs single engine experience & recent practice sessions in aerobatic flt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5286N
- Reported as
- North American AT-6C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 88-9437
- Airframe hours
- 2,403
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN-1, 550 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Hodgdon Aero Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 1, 1983 · 6 hours before
- Airport
- BAF · Barnes Municipal, runway 2, 9,000 × 150 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
- 44
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 15,000 total · 250 in this make and model · 9,000 as pilot in command · 277 in the last 90 days · 107 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BAF
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.