- Date
- August 1, 1992, 09:40 local (13:40 UTC)
- Place
- Louisville, KY
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N983DBDonald L. Betchan KR-II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920801028539A
- Case key
- 37188
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
Improper use of the flight controls by the prospective buyer, and the failure of the owner/operator to adequately supervise the prospective buyer. Factors related to the accident were the lack of experience in type of airplane for the prospective buyer, and the lack of a restraint system for the passenger.
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 owner, seated in the right seat allowed a prospective buyer seated in the left seat to make the takeoff. After getting airborne, the airplane was observed to pitch up to a near vertical attitude, fall off on a wing and then strike the ground nose first. The prospective buyer had no previous time in the airplane, and was a private pilot with 150 hours total time. The owner/operator has less than 100 hours total time and was unrestrained in the airplane which was equipped with only one set of seat belts.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N983DB
- Reported as
- Donald L. Betchan KR-II
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 3844
- Airframe hours
- 4
- Engine
- Volkswagen HAPI 1835, 60 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hayward L. Powell
- Registered owner
- Hayward L. Powell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 5, 1991 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- LOU
- Airport
- LOU · Bowman Field, runway 6, 4,312 × 80 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 150 total · 130 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LOU, 1 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.