Amateur-built T-Bird II accident near Berlin, Pennsylvania, August 4, 2002
On August 4, 2002 at about 11:30 pm local time, a amateur-built T-Bird II, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Berlin, Pennsylvania (North View Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the elevator attachment bolts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 2002 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Berlin, Pennsylvania · North View Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built T-Bird II
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About 20 minutes after takeoff, while flying through some turbulent air, the pilot experienced a loss of elevator control. The pitch oscillated as the pilot attempted to return to the airport, but the airplane eventually pitched nose down into the roof of a hangar. Examination of the wreckage revealed that two bolts, which secured the elevator assembly, had failed consistent with overstress. A piece from one of the bolts was not recovered, and the pilot did not notice the missing piece until he had removed the fabric near the outer connection of the elevator to recover the other bolt. There were no holes in the fabric, and the pilot could not explain the missing bolt piece. He believed that the missing bolt had failed several years ago. The airplane was manufactured in 1996, and the pilot purchased it from a previous owner in 1999. At the time of purchase, the airplane had accumulated 16 hours of total flight time. The pilot installed a new engine, and had flown about 16 additional hours until the accident. After the purchase, the pilot had the airplane refabricated. He thought it was possible that the people refabricating the airplane did not notice the missing bolt, and it dropped to the ground during the refabrication. The pilot surmised that flying 16 hours with one bolt missing increased the stress on the remaining bolt.
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
- Flight time: 16 hours in all; 16 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 32 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 1, 1999; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Suziair (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 78PA Berlin PA at 11:10 pm
- Destination: 78PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 2,450 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from JST, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.