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Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.

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NTSB Report

September 3, 1995 · Morrow Starduster I Starduster · N46565

Ottawa, KS

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
September 3, 1995
Injury Outcomes
1 injury (1 fatality)
Location
Ottawa, KS
Aircraft
Morrow Starduster I Starduster
Tail Number
N46565
Injuries
Fatal
Aircraft Damage
Destroyed
NTSB Number
CHI95LA302

Witnesses reported that the pilot performed a hammerhead stall and entered an inverted spin. Two witnesses said the inverted spin was flat. Witnesses said the engine power increased and decreased during the first five turns of the spin. Two other witnesses said the power was at a high setting and reduced after the fifth turn. They said the airplane spun two more times before colliding with the ground. One witness said he called the pilot on a radio and told him to reduce power. He said the pilot was practicing hammerhead stalls as he was having trouble performing them. The pilot had not flown the airplane in the last four months.

NTSB Probable Cause

the pilot's delayed remedial action during the inverted spin maneuver. A factor associated with the accident was the pilot's lack of recent experience in the type operation.

Full Narrative

On September 3, 1995, at 1030 central daylight time, a Morrow Starduster I, N46565, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed during a collision with the ground while in a witness reported inverted spin. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal 14 CFR Part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight departed Ottawa, Kansas, exact time unknown. According to the witnesses the pilot had been practicing for an aerobatic show when the airplane entered the inverted spin. Other witnesses reported the airplane did a hammerhead stall then entered the inverted spin. They said N46565's engine decreased and increased its RPM two to four times before colliding with the ground. A member of an aerobatic association the accident pilot belonged to said the hammerhead stall was entered between 2,500 and 3,000 feet above the ground. According to this witness, the airplane's engine was at full power during the inverted spin's five of the seven turns. He said the last two turns were accomplished with reduced power. During the on-scene investigation the NTSB was represented by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI). He interviewed one witness who spoke with the pilot by radio during the inverted spin maneuver. The witness, according to the PMI, had told the pilot to reduce N46565's power several times before it collided with the ground. The witness said the pilot had trouble doing the hammerhead stall during his practice sessions. He said the pilot did four hammerhead stalls before the one that lead to the accident. The PMI reported no airframe, control, engine anomalies that would have affected N46565's performance. He said the propeller blades were straight, one of which was buried about 4 to 6 inches in the ground. The PMI said he did not observe any skid marks made by N46565's ground collision. According to the pilot's logbook, his last flight in the Starduster I airplane (N46565) was on April 8, 1995. His logbook showed he flew this airplane 7.2 hours during April 1, 7, and 8, 1995. There were no other logbook entries for this airplane during 1995. The logbook showed the flight before the accident flight was made in a Bellanca 7ECA Citabria on August 12, 1995. The flight is shown as a 9.3 hour cross country flight. The logbook showed the pilot flew the Bellanca 7ECA 14.7 hours between February 16 and August 12, 1995. The autopsy on the pilot was conducted by the Franklin County, Kansas, Coroner's Office on September 4, 1995. The FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute's toxicological report was negative for drugs, carbon monoxide, cyanide, and volatiles.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time10:30 CDT
Nearest AirportOttawa Municipal (0nm)
Runway0
Flight Plan FiledNone
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftMorrow Starduster I Starduster
Tail NumberN46565
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageDestroyed
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsLycoming · OVO-360 · Reciprocating · 180
Seats1

People & Injuries

Injury Summary1 injury (1 fatality)
Fatal1
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured0
Total1
Crew 1Age 58 · Second Class

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind160° @ 8 kt
Visibility8 sm
CeilingBroken clouds 25000 ft
Temperature / Dew Point70 F
Altimeter29.00 inHg
Observation Time14:45
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data