- Date
- May 12, 1989, 12:10 local (16:10 UTC)
- Place
- Sterling, CT
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N21HSmith Mini DSA-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890512011319A
- Case key
- 36248
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's failure to maintain control of the experimental aircraft while performing aerobatic maneuvers, and the aircraft's resultant uncontrolled descent into the ground.
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 aircraft was observed performing aerobatics before it impacted the ground, in an inverted, nose down attitude. The pilot's records indicate a total flight time of 600 hours, of which about 3 hours were in the accident aircraft. Records indicate that the accident aircraft had been flown approximately 4 hours in the preceding 8 1/2 years.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21H
- Reported as
- Smith Mini DSA-1
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 3840-15A
- Engine
- Franklin SPORT 48, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William J. Navan, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · July 3, 1980 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- R11 · Riconn, RI
- Destination
- R11 · Riconn, RI
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 600 total · 3 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.