Amateur-built SPRINT 1000 accident near Lakewood, New Jersey, March 20, 1999
On March 20, 1999 at about 7:30 pm local time, a amateur-built SPRINT 1000, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Lakewood, New Jersey. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of control, which resulted in an unintentional stall/spin after an engine failure. A factor in the accident was the engine failure, which occurred when the magneto piston seized within the cylinder sleeve during an overtemp event.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 1999 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lakewood, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SPRINT 1000 SPRINT 100
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The unregistered homebuilt airplane experienced an engine failure, then began a left turn, which evolved into a cartwheel prior to impact. The engine's normal exhaust gas temperature range was 930 degrees to 1,150 degrees Fahrenheit, while the maximum temperature was 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. The passenger remembered seeing a digital readout, as it passed through the number 1,168. Engine teardown revealed scuffing on the magneto piston, in the vicinity of the exhaust port, on the upper half of the piston skirt. Within the scuffing, carbon deposits were observed. Scuffing and carbon fill were also found at the 4 o'clock and 7 o'clock positions, relative to the exhaust port, also on the upper half of the piston skirt. The piston rings and cylinder walls exhibited scuffing as well, which positionally corresponded to the scuffing on the cylinder skirt.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 6,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE NJ at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from BLM, 10 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG 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.