Amateur-built TERRA II accident near New Berlin, Wisconsin, June 25, 1989
On June 25, 1989 at about 4:30 pm local time, a amateur-built TERRA II, registered N87KS, was destroyed in an accident near New Berlin, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED DURING THE GO-AROUND, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 1989 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- New Berlin, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TERRA II
- Registration
- N87KS · no longer on the register · serial 622053
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER INITIATING A GO-AROUND FROM A VFR APPROACH TO LAND, THE EXPERIMENTAL CUSTOM BUILT AIRCRAFT ENTERED A DESCENT & CRASHED. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT FAILED TO REVEAL ANY ANOMALY THAT WOULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE EVENT.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 580 hours in all; 8 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 901 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Bombardier ROTAX (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:49 pm from VES
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.