Amateur-built SKYBOLT accident near Mansfield, New Jersey, November 1, 1987
On November 1, 1987 at about 9:38 pm local time, a amateur-built SKYBOLT, registered N341SB, was destroyed in an accident near Mansfield, New Jersey. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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 1, 1987 · about 9:38 pm local time
- Place
- Mansfield, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SKYBOLT
- Registration
- N341SB · no longer on the register · serial 01977
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED ACFT PERFORMING MULTIPLE AEROBATIC MANEUVERS. THEY SAID AIRPLANE WAS PERFORMING VERTICAL MANEUVER OR NEARING TOP OF LOOP WHEN IT ENTERED AN INVERTED FLAT SPIN. ROTATION WAS STOPPED, BUT RECOVERY INCOMPLETE WHEN AIRPLANE CRASHED IN A HAY FIELD. WITNESSES SAID THEY HEARD LOUD ENGINE NOISE UNTIL IMPACT WITH GROUND. AIRPLANE DESTROYED BY IMPACT AND POSTCRASH FIRE. PROPELLER REVEALED EVIDENCE OF POWER AT IMPACT. EXAMINATION OF WRECKAGE REVEALED NO INDICATION OF PRE-IMPACT MALFUNCTION.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 720 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 228 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, April 1, 1987; 48 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6A-350-C1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: N05 Hackettstown NJ at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.