Amateur-built Glasair II accident near Hermiston, Oregon, October 14, 2004
On October 14, 2004 at about 4:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Glasair II, registered N706C, was destroyed in an accident near Hermiston, Oregon (Hermiston Municipal 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 pilot's failure to maintain an airspeed above stall speed while executing a wingover maneuver at the top of a vertical climb, leading to an inadvertent spin, and the pilot's inadequate remedial action in attempting to recover from the spin. Factors include performing aerobatic maneuvers close to the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 2004 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hermiston, Oregon · Hermiston Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Glasair II
- Registration
- N706C · registry record · serial 307
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After performing a number of low-level aerobatic maneuvers to the east of the airport, the pilot made a low-level pass over the runway from east to west. He then executed a rapid pull-up, and climbed on a near-vertical line. As the aircraft climbed, its airspeed decreased to the point that when the pilot executed a wingover maneuver at the top of the climb, the aircraft entered a spin. It then spun two or three times to the left, before its rotation rate began to decrease. As the rotation rate decreased, the pilot attempted to pull out of the dive, but the aircraft impacted the terrain and immediately burst into flames. There was no indication of any problems with the flight controls, nor any evidence that there had been a malfunction associated with the engine.
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: 1,350 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HRI Hermiston OR at 3:45 pm
- Destination: HRI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KHRI, 1 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.