Amateur-built GREAT LAKES 2T-1AJ accident near Painesville, Ohio, May 29, 1999
On May 29, 1999 at about 5:34 pm local time, a amateur-built GREAT LAKES 2T-1AJ, registered N275J, was destroyed in an accident near Painesville, Ohio. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to conduct low-level aerobatic flight, and his lack of adequate altitude for the maneuver attempted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1999 · about 5:34 pm local time
- Place
- Painesville, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built GREAT LAKES 2T-1AJ GREAT LAKE
- Registration
- N275J · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane struck trees while performing low-level aerobatic flight. According to 14 CFR Part 91, 'no person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight...below an altitude of 1,500 feet above the surface....'
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,784 hours in all; 98 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 98 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1999; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R-755B2M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 5:30 pm
- Destination: 7G8 Middlefield OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from CGF, 15 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.
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.