Amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT accident near Bath, New York, June 11, 1995
On June 11, 1995 at about 5:00 pm local time, a amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT, registered N3753B, was destroyed in an accident near Bath, New York. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance to avoid trees while performing aerobatic maneuvers. Related factors are the low altitude at which the maneuver was initiated and the delayed recovery/pull-up.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 1995 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bath, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT STEEN SKYB
- Registration
- N3753B · registry record · serial GAB-1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES REPORTED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, AT AN UNDETERMINED ALTITUDE, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED AN ACROBATIC MANEUVER. REVIEW OF A VIDEO TAPE TAKEN OF THE ACCIDENT SEQUENCE REVEALED THE AIRPLANE ROLLED LEFT AND ENTERED INTO A SPIN. THE AIRPLANE COMPLETED FOUR SPINS BEFORE RECOVERY WAS INITIATED. THE AIRPLANE STOPPED ROTATING JUST PRIOR TO IMPACTING TREES. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TREES AND DESCENDED TO THE GROUND. POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME AND ENGINE DID NOT REVEAL ANY ANOMALIES. THE PILOT'S LOG BOOK WAS NOT RECOVERED. THE PILOT RECEIVED A FAA THIRD CLASS MEDICAL ON AUGUST 24, 1988, AT WHICH TIME HE REPORTED 200 HOURS TOTAL FLIGHT TIME.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from ELM, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.