Anderson Aircraft Corp. T CRAFT SPECIAL accident near Pick City, North Dakota, July 18, 1998
On July 18, 1998 at about 2:58 pm local time, a Anderson Aircraft Corp. T CRAFT SPECIAL, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N91XX, was destroyed in an accident near Pick City, North Dakota. 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's failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance with terrain. A factor was the pilot's attempted low altitude acrobatic maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 1998 · about 2:58 pm local time
- Place
- Pick City, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Anderson Aircraft Corp. T CRAFT SPECIAL T CRAFT SP, amateur-built
- Registration
- N91XX · registry record · serial TCR46
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness stated that while he was fishing from a pontoon, an airplane flew over at an altitude of approximately 70 feet above the water. The witness reported that as the airplane passed over him, the engine rpm increased as the pitch of the aircraft increased quickly. The witness stated that while in a climb attitude the airplane rolled to the left and executed a barrel roll maneuver. The witness reported that the aircraft lost altitude during the barrel roll and impacted the water in an upright attitude, skidded on top of the water, slid onto the shore line, and impacted a tree.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 37N Riverdale ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from BIS
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.