Amateur-built FLY BABY II accident near Franklin Center, Pennsylvania, July 28, 1986
On July 28, 1986, a amateur-built FLY BABY II, registered N14OP, was destroyed in an accident near Franklin Center, Pennsylvania (Franklin Center airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 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
- July 28, 1986
- Place
- Franklin Center, Pennsylvania · Franklin Center · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built FLY BABY II FLY BABY I
- Registration
- N14OP · no longer on the register · serial 53
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ACFT BANKED EXCESSIVELY DURING THE LEFT TURN FROM BASE TO FINAL. OPPOSITE CONTROL INPUT WAS APPLIED, HOWEVER, THE PLT REPORTED THE 'STICK SEEMED TO HAVE NO RIGHT MOVEMENT.' FULL POWER WAS APPLIED BUT THE BANK STEEPENED SO POWER WAS REMOVED. CONTROL INPUT WAS ATTEMPTED AGAIN AND THIS TIME THE ACFT YAWED 80 DEGREES RIGHT AND THE LEFT WING LIFTED 45 DEGREES. THE ACFT THEN CONTINUED IN THE DESCENT TO GROUND IMPACT. THE PLT SUGGESTED THAT DUE TO REDUCED SPACE IN THE FRONT COCKPIT, THE FRONT SEAT PASSENGER MAY HAVE RESTRICTED THE CONTROL MOVEMENT. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY COULD NOT BE DETERMINED DUE TO THE EXTENT OF IMPACT DAMAGE.
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: student
- Flight time: 159 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 105 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 25, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,339 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Painesville OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:05 am from ERI, 10 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.
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.