Amateur-built TIERRA II accident near Wooster, Ohio, April 3, 1998
On April 3, 1998 at about 7:25 pm local time, a amateur-built TIERRA II, registered N63250, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wooster, Ohio. It was a personal flight 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 pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during the landing approach. A factor in this accident was the pilot's lack of 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
- April 3, 1998 · about 7:25 pm local time
- Place
- Wooster, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TIERRA II
- Registration
- N63250 · no longer on the register · serial R250063
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had recently purchased the airplane and had received about 1 hour of dual instruction with a certified flight instructor (CFI) in the airplane, prior to the accident flight. The pilot said he was having trouble keeping the airplane stable during the landing approach because it produced a lot of lift and wanted to fly. The pilot stated '...I was controlling my altitude with the throttle until I stalled and dropped...' The 1 hour of dual instruction the pilot received before the accident was his only flight experience in make and model.
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: 91 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Bombardier ROTAX (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 7:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,600 ft; clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from BJJ, 2 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.