- Date
- November 1, 1987, 16:38 local (21:38 UTC)
- Place
- Mansfield, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N341SBCouden Skybolt
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 12, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871101061359A
- Case key
- 35974
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
Witnesses observed acft performing multiple aerobatic maneuvers. They said airplane was performing vertical maneuver or nearing top of loop when it entered an inverted flat spin. Rotation was stopped, but recovery incomplete when airplane crashed in a hay field. Witnesses said they heard loud engine noise until impact with ground. Airplane destroyed by impact and postcrash fire. Propeller revealed evidence of power at impact. Examination of wreckage revealed no indication of pre-impact malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N341SB
- Reported as
- Couden Skybolt
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 01977
- Airframe hours
- 228
- Engine
- Franklin 6A-350-C1, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kevin A. Whiting
- Registered owner
- Milton E. Beers
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · April 1, 1987 · 48 hours before
- Departed
- N05 · Hackettstown, NJ
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 720 total · 33 in this make and model · 700 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.