Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Anchorage, Alaska 99502
Sunday, July 26, 1998 11:09 AKD
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The pilot and a pilot-rated passenger, flying a Russian built unlimited class aerobatic airplane, joined a second aerobatic airplane for a planned photo flight. The two airplanes flew alongside each other while the passengers took photographs. The photo flight altitudes varied between 2,600 and 3,400 feet msl. After the photo session was completed, the pilot of the accident airplane stated he was going to demonstrate some aerobatic maneuvers to his passenger. During a turn, the pilot of the second airplane momentarily lost sight of the accident airplane. When he regained sight of the accident airplane, he estimated it was between 2,700 to 3,000 feet msl, in what appeared to be an inverted right spin. The spin continued for between 5 to 7 turns until the airplane collided with trees. The accident airplane was being operated in the United States under an experimental/exhibition airworthiness certificate. It has light control forces, and a roll rate of 340 degrees per second. No preimpact mechanical malfunction was found. The pilot was an active U.S. Air Force Lt. General with extensive military experience. He had accrued 16.6 hours in the accident airplane. According to his logbook, he had practiced several aerobatic manuevers in the airplane, including incipient inverted spins, and inverted and upright flat spins. The accident pilot and passenger had previously flown aerobatic airplanes together. The passenger had competed in aerobatic airplanes in the past. He did not have any experience in the accident airplane. The airplane flight manual recommends an altitude of 1,500 meters (4,922 feet) prior to initiating spins.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's inadequate remedial action to recover from an inverted spin, while performing aerobatics. Contributing factors were the lower than recommended entry altitude for a spin and the pilot's lack of familiarity with the accident airplane.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/26/1998 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1109 |
| Event Time Zone | -- |
| Event City | ANCHORAGE |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99502 |
| Event Date Year | 1998 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1116 Atlantic Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 193 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | EDF |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 213 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 7 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | ADT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 7500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 1000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 15 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 57 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 48 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 350 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1354 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 26 1998 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1115 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jul 25 2001 4:45AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N354AM |
| NTSB Number | ANC98FA110 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Yakovlev |
| Aircraft Model | YAK-54 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | YAK-54 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 02003 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2391 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jun 15 1998 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 36 |
| Airframe Hours | 39 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | RED EAGLE FLYING, LLC |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 5-504 5TH ST. |
| Aircraft Owner City | ELMENDORF AFB |
| Aircraft Owner State | AK |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99506 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | DAVID J. MCCLOUD |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | EDF |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1030 |
| Departure Time Zone | ADT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jul 25 2001 4:05AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |