Amateur-built EAGLE II accident near Cambridge, Indiana, March 15, 1996
On March 15, 1996 at about 7:27 pm local time, a amateur-built EAGLE II, registered N219RC, was destroyed in an accident near Cambridge, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot allowed the airplane to enter a flat spin, while performing an acrobatic maneuver, and was unable to recover before ground impact. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot's overconfidence in his personal ability, and his lack of familiarity with the airplane's flight characteristics.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 1996 · about 7:27 pm local time
- Place
- Cambridge, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built EAGLE II
- Registration
- N219RC · no longer on the register · serial BISHOP 0001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had owned the airplane about 2 to 3 weeks. According to witnesses, he was performing aerobatics when the airplane entered a flat spin. Subsequently, the airplane collided with the ground and produced no ground scars other than from its impact point. The pilot had performed aerobatics in a Luscombe during the 1970's and 1980's. The owner of the fixed base operation, where the airplane was based, stated the pilot had not received any acrobatic instruction locally. There were no mechanical anomalies found with the airframe, control system, or engine that would have prevented normal operation of the airplane.
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: 1,500 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 707 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1995; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UWL New Castle IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 7:50 pm from IND, 60 miles away
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.