Stolp Starduster Corp. SA-300 accident near Shirley, New York, August 3, 1988
On August 3, 1988 at about 5:10 pm local time, a Stolp Starduster Corp. SA-300, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N7613, was destroyed in an accident near Shirley, New York (Brookhaven 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
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
- August 3, 1988 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Shirley, New York · Brookhaven · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stolp Starduster Corp. SA-300, amateur-built
- Registration
- N7613 · no longer on the register · serial 91
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT THE ACFT'S ENG LOST POWER AS HE WAS DEPARTING FROM RWY 24. HE SAID HE TURNED LEFT TO LAND ON RWY 15, THEN THE ENG RESTARTED AGAIN, SO HE DECIDED TO LAND ON RWY 24. ALSO, HE RPRTD THAT AS HE WAS BANKING TO THE LEFT IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, 'THE AIRCRAFT FELL TO THE GROUND.' THE PLT STATED THAT HE BELIEVED HE WAS FLYING TOO SLOW. THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT & GROUND FIRE. NO REASON WAS FOUND FOR THE LOSS OF POWER.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 1,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 217 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 4, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental GO-300 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 1N1 at 4:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 4,200 ft by 100 ft
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.