Amateur-built ACRO SPORT 1 accident near Albert Lea, Minnesota, July 23, 1994
On July 23, 1994 at about 8:30 pm local time, a amateur-built ACRO SPORT 1, registered N869M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Albert Lea, Minnesota (Albert Lee Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to make a precautionary landing on the remaining runway. Factors in the accident were the blocked fuel injector and inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1994 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Albert Lea, Minnesota · Albert Lee Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ACRO SPORT 1 ACRO SPORT
- Registration
- N869M · registry record · serial 357
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Immediately after takeoff, the airplane experienced a partial loss of engine power. The pilot stopped the climb and leveled the airplane at approximately 150 feet above the ground and 1200 feet down the runway. He continued to fly the entire length of the runway. At the end of the runway, the pilot made a left turn in an attempt to make emergency landing. At approximately 75 feet above ground level, the airplane's nose pitched down slightly, the sink rate increased, and the right wing dropped slightly. Postaccident inspection revealed the number three fuel injector was plugged with a small amount of an unidentified matter.
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: 808 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 742 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 740 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 31, 1994; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 4,501 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; scat at 2,900 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:15 pm from AEL
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.