North American AT-6D accident near Circleville, Ohio, September 29, 2002
On September 29, 2002 at about 6:30 pm local time, a North American AT-6D, registered N29930, was destroyed in an accident near Circleville, Ohio (Pickaway County Memorial airport). It was an air show or air race 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 airspeed during the course reversal, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 2002 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Circleville, Ohio · Pickaway County Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American AT-6D · all AT-6Ds on the register
- Registration
- N29930 · no longer on the register · serial 91088
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Air show or air race flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an airshow, the accident airplane flew by as the lead of a four-ship, single-file pass. When it reached the end of the runway, it began a climbing right turn, with an intended course reversal. Near the completion of the turn, the airplane suddenly rolled further right, the nose pitched down, and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground almost vertically. There were no mechanical anomalies noted.
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: 2,400 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,824 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 5,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CYO Circleville OH at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 4,351 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 6:43 pm from LCK, 20 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.