Amateur-built REBEL 300 accident near El Reno, Oklahoma, September 17, 1990
On September 17, 1990 at about 8:40 pm local time, a amateur-built REBEL 300, registered N469RR, was destroyed in an accident near El Reno, Oklahoma (El Reno Muni airport). It was a personal flight 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 ELEVATOR CONTROL ROD AT THE BELL CRANK.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 1990 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- El Reno, Oklahoma · El Reno Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built REBEL 300
- Registration
- N469RR · registry record · serial TII087003
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A PULLING AEROBATIC MANEUVER THE PILOT EXPERIENCED LOSS OF ELEVATOR CONTROL. HE ATTEMPTED TO LAND USING ELEVATOR TRIM BUT FOUND CONTROL TO BE INADEQUATE FOR A SUCCESSFUL LANDING. AFTER CLIMBING TO A HIGHER ALTITUDE THE PILOT BAILED OUT OF THE AIRPLANE, WHICH THEN DESCENDED OUT OF CONTROL TO IMPACT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ELEVATOR CONTROL ROD FAILED AT THE BELL CRANK, WHICH ATTACHED THE ELEVATOR ROD TO THE CONTROL STICK.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 175 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 130 in the last 30 days; 8,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 175 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1990; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OK at 8:30 pm
- Destination: OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.