- Date
- August 23, 1987, 13:19 local (19:19 UTC)
- Place
- Twin Falls, ID
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N38ZLutz Flying Dutchman
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 17, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870823047109A
- Case key
- 40684
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 purpose of the flt was to check the acft after replacing a wooden prop with an all metal prop & to prepare for entry in the reno air races. Bfr entering the air races. The plt needed to demonstrate his ability to make a 'barrel roll' & to make 3 lndgs. There was no operable radio in the acft, so the plt used a hand held VHF transceiver. After he took off, radio comm with the acft was lost, so twr psnl used visual lgt signals for control. The plt made 2 touch-&-go lndgs & had bgn a dscndg turn to final apch (3rd pattern), when the acft rolled inverted & plunged to the gnd. One witness thought the acft snap rolled. Another said it was swaying fm side to side as it plunged to the gnd. It crashed in a nose dwn attitude & there was little movement after impact. No preimpact part problem was fnd. The plt's blood was checked at 2 labs. One check showed an alcohol lvl of 0.238%; the other showed a lvl of 0.200%. A check of the plt's urine showed an alcohol lvl of 0.207%. The arpt elev was 4151 ft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N38Z
- Reported as
- Lutz Flying Dutchman (FLYING DUT)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- LFD-13-4
- Engine
- Continental C-90-8F, 95 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Thomas D. Aslett
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 17, 1987
- Departed
- TWF
- Airport
- TWF · Joslin Field, runway 25, 8,703 × 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,571 total · 62 in this make and model · 2,459 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TWF, 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.