Amateur-built STAR LITE accident near Ft. Scott, Kansas, January 1, 1988
On January 1, 1988 at about 5:00 pm local time, a amateur-built STAR LITE, registered N87LF, was destroyed in an accident near Ft. Scott, Kansas. 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 FAILURE OF THE MAIN SPARS AT THE ATTACHMENT POINTS INSIDE THE FUSELAGE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 1, 1988 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ft. Scott, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STAR LITE
- Registration
- N87LF · no longer on the register · serial 113
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD PLANNED TO MAKE SEVERAL PASSES OVER HIS PARENTS' HOUSE. ON THE THIRD PASS WITNESSES OBSERVED A WING DEPART THE AIRCRAFT AND THE AIRCRAFT FELL FROM THE SKY. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IN A RIVER. EXAM OF THE AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS REVEALED A SPAR AND SPAR ATTACHMENT FAILURE. COMPARISON OF THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS DISCLOSED AN IMPROPERLY CONSTRUCTED MAIN SPAR (WHERE THE SPARS ATTACH TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE FUSELAGE). A REVIEW OF THE PILOT'S LOG BOOKS DID NOT SHOW ANY LOGGED TIME IN THIS AIRCRAFT.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 281 hours in all; 16 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 148 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 447 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FSK Fort Scott KS at 4:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from CNU, 35 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.