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).
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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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 27, 1988 · about 8:00 pm local time
- 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 |
Other NTSB records under N8801Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX88DVA01.