Eagle DW-1 accident near Holdrege, Nebraska, August 20, 1982
On August 20, 1982 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Eagle DW-1, registered N8809J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Holdrege, Nebraska (Brewster airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- August 20, 1982 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Holdrege, Nebraska · Brewster · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eagle DW-1
- Registration
- N8809J · no longer on the register · serial DW-1-0057-82
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER DURING A FORCED LANDING AFTER THE ENGINE STOPPED FROM FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE PILOT HAD FINISHED SPRAYING AND WAS ON HIS WAY TO REFUEL WHEN THE LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED. HE PICKED OUT A SHORT FIELD FOR LANDING AND THE TAILWHEEL AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER DUE TO SOFT TERRAIN. THE PILOT SAID HE SHOULD HAVE INITIALLY ONLOADED MORE FUEL.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,303 hours in all; 127 in this make and model; 320 in the last 90 days; 2,180 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 131 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 131 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-M1B5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HDE Holdrege NE at 11:30 am
- Destination: HDE Holdrege NE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 185°F (85°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.