Amateur-built EARLY BIRD JENNY accident near Concord, New Hampshire, November 3, 1990
On November 3, 1990 at about 3:15 pm local time, a amateur-built EARLY BIRD JENNY, registered N7165Y, was destroyed in an accident near Concord, New Hampshire (Concord airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL SPIN. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THE MAKE AND MODEL OF AIRCRAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 3, 1990 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Concord, New Hampshire · Concord
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built EARLY BIRD JENNY EARLY BIRD
- Registration
- N7165Y · no longer on the register · serial 105
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS TESTING HIS NEW HOMEBUILT AIRPLANE, WHICH WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A STALL WARNING HORN. THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED TO TAKEOFF & ENTER A LEFT TURN AT A SLOW AIRSPEED, THEN IT ENTERED A LEFT SPIN. RECOVERY WAS NOT ACCOMPLISHED BEFORE GROUND IMPACT. NO EVIDENCE OF A PRE-EXISTING FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE PILOT HAD PREVIOUSLY OWNED AN AIRPLANE WITH A STALL WARNING HORN.
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: 1,000 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 950 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 31, 1990; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru EA81 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,999 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:20 pm from CON, 1 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.
Other NTSB records under N7165Y 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.