Amateur-built DH-100 MK.6 accident near Ontario, Oregon, September 23, 2000
On September 23, 2000 at about 6:43 pm local time, a amateur-built DH-100 MK.6, registered N152RD, was destroyed in an accident near Ontario, Oregon (Ontario Muni airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during low-altitude maneuvering flight, resulting in an accelerated stall and spin. A factor was the pilot's intentional low-altitude maneuvering flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 2000 · about 6:43 pm local time
- Place
- Ontario, Oregon · Ontario Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DH-100 MK.6 DH-100 MK.
- Registration
- N152RD · no longer on the register · serial 661
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Most witnesses reported that while making a low, climbing pass during an aerial demonstration at an estimated altitude of 700 to 3,000 feet above ground level, the aircraft initiated a steep banked left turn, then abruptly rolled to the right (one witness reported that it rolled upside down at this point) and entered a spin (or a series of rolls), which continued until ground impact. The witnesses reported that they did not observe the aircraft on fire prior to the crash, that they did not see anything fall off the aircraft before impact, and that they heard the aircraft's engine during the accident sequence. No evidence of any pre-impact mechanical problems with the aircraft or engine was found during post-accident examinations of the aircraft wreckage. The Pilot's Notes for at least one variant of the type indicate that if the aircraft is stalled in a steep turn, the aircraft may 'flick' onto its back.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: De Havilland GOBLIN (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ONO
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 131°F (55°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from ONO
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.