Amateur-built GP-4 accident near Plattsmouth, Nebraska, May 1, 1999
On May 1, 1999 at about 7:00 pm local time, a amateur-built GP-4, registered N54WB, was destroyed in an accident near Plattsmouth, Nebraska (Plattsmouth Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
aircraft control and airspeed not maintained by the pilot-in-command. A factor to the accident was the inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 1999 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Plattsmouth, Nebraska · Plattsmouth Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built GP-4
- Registration
- N54WB · registry record · serial 151
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the initial climb, the airplane was witnessed to pitch nose-down, enter a spin, and impact terrain. According to a pilot, who was current in the accident airplane, the altitude and location where the airplane entered the stall/spin would be consistent with where the landing gear would have been in retraction. According to pilots, who had flown in the accident airplane, the gear retraction procedure was to climb to 1,500 feet above ground level, slow the airplane to within 10 MPH of the stall (power-off, gear-down, flaps-retracted) speed, and then retract the landing gear by the manually-actuated lever. According to pilots, who had flown in the accident airplane, when the airplane was held in a stalled condition it would rapidly pitch down and bank sharply to the left. The designer of the airplane stated that during a power-on stall the wing would drop, 'almost vertical,' and that 300 to 500 feet would be lost during the recovery from the stall.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,978 hours in all; 181 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 182 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 24, 1999; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,985 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PMV at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,100 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:52 pm from OMA, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N54WB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.