Amateur-built REVELATION accident near Latrobe, Pennsylvania, May 30, 1999
On May 30, 1999 at about 1:49 pm local time, a amateur-built REVELATION, registered N2DF, was destroyed in an accident near Latrobe, Pennsylvania (Westmoreland County airport). 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
Was the pilot's failure to maintain directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 1999 · about 1:49 pm local time
- Place
- Latrobe, Pennsylvania · Westmoreland County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built REVELATION
- Registration
- N2DF · registry record · serial 98008
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot attempted to make his first flight in his homebuilt airplane. The airplane lifted off the runway, and immediately landed back on the runway. He reported engine problems to the tower and taxied back to parking. The next day, the pilot made his second attempt at his first flight. He lifted off the runway, the aircraft wobbled, banked left, and collided into a hillside. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no pre-impact mechanical deficiencies. The pilot's logbook indicated a total of 141 flight hours, with no entries of flight in the experimental airplane.
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
- Flight time: 141 hours in all; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 80 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 18, 1999; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: 2Si 460-F45 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LBE at 2:48 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,595 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from LBE, 1 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.