Amateur-built STOLP SA-750 accident near E. Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, April 30, 1997
On April 30, 1997 at about 10:35 pm local time, a amateur-built STOLP SA-750, registered N513EP, was destroyed in an accident near E. Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
was the pilot's entry into an uncontrolled stall/spin and his inadequate recovery from the maneuver which resulted in collision with terrain. Factors in the accident were the low entry altitude for the maneuver and the pilot's lack of recent flight experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 1997 · about 10:35 pm local time
- Place
- E. Huntingdon, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STOLP SA-750 STOLP SA-7
- Registration
- N513EP · registry record · serial 325
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was observed performing aerobatic maneuvers prior to entering an uncontrolled stall/spin at low altitude. Witnesses heard the engine run uninterrupted prior to entering uncontrolled flight. The pilot had approximately 1/2-hour of flight experience a week prior to the accident, and no flight experience in the 6 months prior to that flight.
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: 332 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 235 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 67 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 26, 1996; 31 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-N1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P45 Scottsdale/Mt.P PA at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 am from LBE, 12 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.
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.