Amateur-built Steen Skybolt accident near Camdenton, Missouri, February 4, 2001
On February 4, 2001 at about 6:18 pm local time, a amateur-built Steen Skybolt, registered N50BW, was destroyed in an accident near Camdenton, Missouri (Camdenton Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining altitude/clearance from terrain during the low altitude maneuver. Factors were the wind gusts and the low altitude maneuver the pilot performed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 4, 2001 · about 6:18 pm local time
- Place
- Camdenton, Missouri · Camdenton Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Steen Skybolt
- Registration
- N50BW · no longer on the register · serial W-001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed on impact with terrain while performing a low altitude maneuver. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. A witness stated, "As the plane traveled southbound and gained altitude, it rolled over once doing a 'Barrel Roll'. Immediately after that the nose of the plane went up into the air and then looped back over it's self doing a 'loop-d-loop'. It appeared that the plane then went nose first into the tree line where I lost sight of it." Another witness stated, "The wind at the time was 260 degrees at 9 knots gusting to 17 knots. With these conditions there are very bad wind shear conditions from about end of 33 for about 1 mile south up to about 400 feet." The pilot did not list any visits to health professionals within the last three years and listed "No" for "Do You Currently Use Any Medication (Prescription or Nonprescription)?" on his application for his medical. The pilot visited a doctor on June 23, 1999 and was prescribed Celexa. The last annual was dated June 22, 1999. Both propeller blades had chordwise scratches and leading edge nicks. Continuity was established to the flight control surfaces and to the engine. The engine produced a thumb compression at all cylinders. A blue liquid was in the fuel servo. The magnetos produced spark. No anomalies were found. The FAA CAMI report stated CITALOPRAM was detected in Blood and in Liver. The PDR online stated Citalopram hydrobromide is a prescription used to treat "major depression...."
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: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 25,678 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 488 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 1999; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,958 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K26 Carrollton MO
- Destination: H21 Camdenton MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,428 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 9 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from AIZ, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.