Amateur-built MONOPLANE accident near Lincoln, Nebraska, November 7, 1985
On November 7, 1985 at about 10:44 pm local time, a amateur-built MONOPLANE, registered N44XP, was destroyed in an accident near Lincoln, Nebraska (Pester Skyranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- November 7, 1985 · about 10:44 pm local time
- Place
- Lincoln, Nebraska · Pester Skyranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MONOPLANE
- Registration
- N44XP · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS PERFORMING AEROBATICS WHILE BEING PHOTOGRAPHED FOR A PROMOTIONAL VIDEO. ON THE LAST PASS OVER THE ARPT THE ACFT LOST AIRSPEED AND BEGAN A SIDE SLIP WITH THE LEFT WING DOWN. AT A VERY LOW ALT AGL THE ACFT APPEARED TO STALL AND ASSUME A HIGHER SINK RATE, STRIKING THE GROUND WITH THE LEFT WING & NOSE. THE PLTS HEAD HIT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DURING THE CRASH SEQUENCE AND HE LOST CONSCIOUSNESS. THE PLT DID NOT REGAIN CONSCIOUSNESS AND EXPIRED ON 1/3/86. TWO OF THE PLTS FRIENDS, WHO WERE ALSO AEROBATIC PLTS, REVIEWED THE VIDEO TAPES AND CONCLUDED THAT THE PLT MAY HAVE HAD A MEDICAL IMPAIRMENT AND WAS TRYING TO LAND WITHOUT TOTAL CONTROL. NO MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND AND THE PLTS LAST MEDICAL EXAM ON 10/10/85 REVEALED NO ABNOMALITIES. THE VIDEO CAMERAMAN, WHO HAD MADE OTHER VIDEOS WITH THE PLT, SAID THAT THE PLT APPEARED UNSUALLY NERVOUS BEFORE THE FLT, HE ALSO SAID THAT THE LAST APPROACH TO THE FIELD WAS NOT A NORMAL ONE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 1985; 168 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,065 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-CIC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PSR Lincoln NE at 10:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 1,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 25°F (-4°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.