Amateur-built S-8 accident near Tucson, Arizona, January 23, 1995
On January 23, 1995 at about 11:30 pm local time, a amateur-built S-8, registered N66191, was destroyed in an accident near Tucson, Arizona. 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
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH THE GROUND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 23, 1995 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built S-8
- Registration
- N66191 · no longer on the register · serial 108
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACQUAINTANCES OF THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD INTENDED TO MAKE A 1.0 TO 1.5 HOUR-LONG LOCAL FLIGHT, DURING WHICH HE PLANNED TO PERFORM TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS AND PRACTICE UNSPECIFIED MANEUVERS IN THE LOCAL AREA. THE PILOT PURCHASED 10 GALS OF FUEL, PUT ON A PARACHUTE, AND TOOK OFF IN THE HOMEBUILT WHICH HE HAD PURCHASED A FEW WEEKS EARLIER. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND ABOUT 6 MI FROM THE UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT, PARTIALLY CONSUMED BY A POSTIMPACT FIRE. AN ON-SCENE EXAMINATION REVEALED THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH THE ROUGH DESERT TERRAIN WHILE IN A STEEP NOSE-DOWN PITCH ATTITUDE. TERRAIN AND VEGETATION SURROUNDING THE IMPACT SITE WAS NOT SCARRED, AND THE ENGINE WAS FOUND IN AN ESTIMATED 70-DEG NOSE-DOWN PITCH ATTITUDE. THE PROPELLER WAS FOUND ATTACHED TO THE ENGINE, AND WAS ABOUT 18 INCHES BELOW GROUND LEVEL. ALL OF THE AIRPLANE'S FLIGHT CONTROL SURFACES WERE ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE VICINITY OF THE MAIN IMPACT CRATER, AND NONE EXHIBITED EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS.
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, flight engineer, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,546 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 710 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,571 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: E14 at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.