American Champion Aircraft 8KCAB incident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 26, 2012
On July 26, 2012 at about 9:30 pm local time, a American Champion Aircraft 8KCAB, registered N60GK, was involved in an incident during maneuvering (aerobatics) near Oshkosh, Wisconsin (Wittman Regional Airport). It was an air show or air race flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot’s seat bottom frame due to the manufacturer’s improper production, installation, and inspection of that seat bottom, which resulted in a temporary loss of control during an air show performance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 2012 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Oshkosh, Wisconsin · Wittman Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Champion Aircraft 8KCAB · all 8KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N60GK · no longer on the register · serial 1115-2012
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Air show or air race flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing at an air show and entered the aerobatic box with a 45 degree descending roll. At an airspeed of 150 mph, the pilot pulled up into a loop and then initiated a “snap-on-top-of-a-loop” maneuver. The pilot’s seat then broke, and the pilot and seatback fell backward onto the rear seat and rear control column, temporarily jamming the flight controls. The pilot was then able to recover the airplane to a “right-side-up” position with wings level. He flew away from the crowd to assess the situation and subsequently landed without further incident. An examination revealed that the airplane’s seat bottom frame was not equipped with a required reinforcement truss stiffener. The manufacturer reviewed its production work orders and discovered that a batch of 10 seats were produced that were not constructed with the truss stiffener and, therefore, did not conform with the airplane’s production type certificate. As a result of this investigation, the manufacturer added steps to the seat production and inspection procedures to ensure proper seat assembly. Additionally, the manufacturer added to the seat welding fixture a locator (a visual cue) for the truss stiffener parts. Further, Service Letter 437 was published indicating that owners should perform a one-time inspection to ensure that the seat bottom frame contains the required reinforcement truss stiffener.
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
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during prior to flight
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during maneuvering (aerobatics) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Equipment/furnishings › Flight compartment equipment › Failure
- cause Organizational issues › Development › Manufacture/production › (general) › Manufacturer
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 23,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 22,700 as pilot in command; 9,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 21, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11.2 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-H1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OSH Oshkosh WI at 9:25 pm
- Destination: OSH Oshkosh WI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.68 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from OSH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.