Amateur-built 5151RG accident near Shelbyville, Indiana, June 10, 1997
On June 10, 1997 at about 6:15 pm local time, a amateur-built 5151RG, registered N81728, was destroyed in an accident near Shelbyville, 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 cause of the accident is undetermined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 1997 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Shelbyville, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 5151RG
- Registration
- N81728 · no longer on the register · serial WS2
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness reported that the engine sounded fine and the airplane appeared to be flying normally when it departed the airport at 1300 CDT. At 1815, the airplane wreckage was found in a soybean field about 1/2 mile from the pilot's grass airstrip. No one witnessed the accident. This was a wooden kit airplane that the pilot had built; he received a Special Airworthiness Certificate on April 24, 1997. The pilot had flown the airplane about five hours. The airplane's wooden and fabric covered fuselage was destroyed by fire. There were five prop strikes about 12 inches apart leading to the sheared off propeller blades and engine. The aircraft was found in the inverted position about eight feet from the first propeller strike. The landing gear was extended. Examination of the engine revealed no anomalies, and the flight controls had continuity.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,120 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 4,883 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, April 24, 1997; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 885 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SHB IN at 6:00 pm
- Destination: Grass Airstrip
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 23,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from IND, 25 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.