Waco UPF-7 accident near Springfield, Illinois, July 12, 1997
On July 12, 1997 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Waco UPF-7, registered N30136, was substantially damaged in an accident near Springfield, Illinois (Springfield Capital). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to maintain safe altitude/clearance from the terrain. Factors relating to this accident were: the hazy weather condition, the resultant difficulty in keeping the other airplane in sight, and the pilot's diverted attention, while looking for the other airplane during the airshow routine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 1997 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Springfield, Illinois · Springfield Capital
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco UPF-7 · all UPF-7s on the register
- Registration
- N30136 · registry record · serial 5533
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he was performing an airshow routine with another airplane. He had just come across the top of a '1/2 cuban eight' maneuver, and visually located the other airplane, as he was maneuvering for an opposing pass. He stated, 'Descending back to show center, I lost sight of the other airplane due to my top wing being in my line of sight.' The pilot visually searched for the other airplane. He said, 'Due to the time of day, haze and color of the other airplane, I didn't pick him up. At one instant, something caught my eye. I glanced up, and the next instant, touched down on a slight descent at about 160 miles per hour. The long rigid [landing] gear collapsed easily. I pulled the airplane back into the air, made a slight right turn to line up on runway 13 and landed.' Examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
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
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,889 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 4, 1997; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-14B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SPI at 11:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N30136 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI97LA211.