Amateur-built SILHOUETTE 1 accident near Corvallis, Oregon, July 30, 1995
On July 30, 1995 at about 8:30 pm local time, a amateur-built SILHOUETTE 1, registered N5121P, was destroyed in an accident near Corvallis, Oregon. 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 CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT PERFORMING AEROBATICS AT AN ALTITUDE INADEQUATE FOR SAFE RECOVERY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 1995 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Corvallis, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SILHOUETTE 1 SILHOUETTE
- Registration
- N5121P · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE ENGINE LOST POWER NEAR THE TOP OF A LOOP, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS SEEN TO ENTER A SPIRAL OR A SPIN. THE ENGINE RESUMED POWER AS THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO DESCEND, BUT THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TREES AND TERRAIN AS THE PILOT BEGAN PULLING OUT OF THE RESULTING DIVE.
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: student
- Flight time: 150 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 825 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 447 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CVO OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N5121P 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.