Extra Flugzeugbau EA-200 accident near Radnor, Ohio, October 21, 1997
On October 21, 1997 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Extra Flugzeugbau EA-200, registered N11EX, was destroyed in an accident near Radnor, Ohio (Packer airport). 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
The failure of the pilot to obtain the proper altitude/clearance above the terrain, to perform an aerobatic maneuver. A factor was the pilot's lack of total experience in make and model.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 1997 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Radnor, Ohio · Packer · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Extra Flugzeugbau EA-200
- Registration
- N11EX · no longer on the register · serial 15
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness observed the pilot perform a reverse half-Cuban eight during the initial takeoff climb. At approximately 500 feet above ground level (AGL) the pilot attempted to complete the maneuver from the inverted position; however, approximately 30 degrees nose down, the airplane impacted the ground. The witness further stated that the airplane 'did not have enough altitude to clear the ground.' The pilot purchased the airplane new in June, 1997. It was estimated that the pilot had about 30 hours experience in the make and model accident airplane. The pilot had logged a total of 272 flights which consisted of 113 hours during the month of April, 1997 in a Swift S-1 glider. The pilot was previously named a United States National Glider Aerobatic Champion. Interviews with two professional aerobatic pilots indicated that an altitude of 500 feet AGL was required to complete the maneuver in a glider. For the make and model accident airplane, a minimum altitude would be 600 feet AGL depending on conditions such as airspeed and density altitude, and that their personal minimums were 800 feet AGL.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,992 hours in all; 30 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 30 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 24, 1997; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,770 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming L-26997-51A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OH32 at 4:15 pm
- Destination: OSU Columbus OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,175 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,500 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from CMH, 24 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.