Extra Flugzeugbau 230 accident near Arcadia, Florida, October 17, 1987
On October 17, 1987 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Extra Flugzeugbau 230, registered N230WF, was destroyed in an accident near Arcadia, Florida (Carlstorm airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 1987 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Arcadia, Florida · Carlstorm
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Extra Flugzeugbau 230
- Registration
- N230WF · no longer on the register · serial 006
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE THE AIRCRAFT WAS PERFORMING EXHIBITION AEROBATICS AT AN AIRSHOW. THE ACFT HAD JUST COMPLETED A PORTION OF THE PLANNED LOW ALT AEROBATIC SEQUENCE WHICH INCLUDED A TAIL SLIDE & 3 ROLLS WITH THE NOSE OF THE ACFT POINTED TOWARD THE GROUND AT A 45 DEG ANGLE. WITNESSES STATED THAT AFTER THE TAIL SLIDE, THE ACFT COMPLETED 4 ROLLS INSTEAD OF THE PLANNED 3, & THAT THE NOSE WAS POINTED TOWARD THE GROUND AT ABOUT A 60 DEG ANGLE INSTEAD OF THE PLANNED 45 DEG ANGLE. AFTER RECOVERY FROM THE 4TH ROLL, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO ATTEMPT TO PULL OUT OF THE LOW ALT DIVE AT ABOUT 100 FT. THE NOSE WAS OBSERVED TO RISE, BUT THE ACFT HIT THE GROUND BEFORE RECOVERY COULD BE AFFECTED.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 1,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 279 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 21, 1987; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360A1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:48 pm from FMY, 37 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.