Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1 accident near Modesto, California, February 27, 1988
On February 27, 1988 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1, registered N8801Y, was destroyed in an accident near Modesto, California. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 27, 1988 · about 8:00 pm local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Modesto, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1
- Registration
- N8801Y · registry record · serial 0011-80
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ENROUTE FOR THE PURPOSE OF SPRAYING A FIELD, THE ENGINE SEEMED TO OVERSPEED THEN LOSE POWER. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LANDED ON A SOFT FIELD WHERE DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER. THE PROPELLER DOME WAS FOUND TO HAVE SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT AND WAS FOUND 150 FEET PRIOR TO THE FIRST POINT OF IMPACT.
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
- Flight time: 6,500 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 6,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 813 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 26, 1987; 172 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,860 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W-670-6N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: A/P Modesto CA at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:49 pm from MOD, 7 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.
Other NTSB records under N8801Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8801Y on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Continental W-670-6N 52 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,134 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N8801Y 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX88DVA01.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.