Thorp T-18 accident near Geneva, Ohio, August 3, 1982
On August 3, 1982 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Thorp T-18, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N693RB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Geneva, Ohio (Trumbull (Pvt) airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1982 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Geneva, Ohio · Trumbull (Pvt)
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Thorp T-18, amateur-built · all T-18s on the register
- Registration
- N693RB · registry record · serial 693
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT 1/3 OF THE WAY DOWN THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT AFTER TOUCHDOWN, HE APPLIED THE BRAKES INTERMITTENTLY, BUT THERE WAS LITTLE EFFECT ON THE DRY, HARD, GRASSY SURFACE. WHEN IT BECAME APPARENT THAT HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO STOP ON THE RUNWAY BY USING NORMAL BRAKING, HE ATTEMPTED TO INTENTIONALLY GROUND LOOP THE PLANE. HE CLAIMED THAT THE RIGHT BRAKE LINE BURST. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED THROUGH A BARBED WIRE FENCE, CROSSED A NARROW ROAD AND WENT INTO A FIELD OF TALL GOLDENROD WHERE THE WHEELS BECAME ENTANGLED AND THE AIRCRAFT TURNED OVER.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,020 hours in all; 124 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 903 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 124 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 11 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-324 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Dansville NY at 1:30 pm
- Destination: Trumbull, Genev OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 181°F (83°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.