Skip to content

ATL90FA120

1990-05-26 · TUSKEGEE, Alabama, United States · Fatal · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 06A

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND CLEARANCE ABOVE THE TERRAIN, WHILE PERFOMING LOW ALTITUDE, INVERTED FLIGHT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE LACK OF VISUAL PERCEPTION TO THE PILOT AT DUSK (TWILIGHT), THE PILOT'S OVERCONFIDENCE IN HIS PERSONAL ABILITY, AND HIS LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS AIRCRAFT AND TYPE OF OPERATION.

Factual narrative

THE PLT HAD RECENTLY PURCHASED THE TWIN-ENG JET ACFT & HAD PLANNED TO FLY IT IN A PYLON RACE AT AN ANNUAL FLY-IN. THE PYLON RACE WAS ABORTED DUE TO POOR VISIBILITY IN TWILIGHT HAZE. THE PLT THEN MADE 3 HIGH SPEED/LOW ALTITUDE FLY-OVERS ALONG RWY 13. DURING THE 3RD FLY-OVER, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO ROLL TO INVERTED FLT. HOWEVER, WHILE FLYING INVERTED, IT BEGAN TO DESCEND. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT IMPACTED THE GND BESIDE RWY 13, WHILE ON A SE HDG. THE ACFT WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED BY IMPACT & GND FIRE; THE WRECKAGE TRAIL EXTENDED ABOUT 400 FT. WITNESSES RPRTD THE ENGS WERE RUNNING THRU-OUT THE MNVR UNTIL IMPACT. ALSO, WITNESSES RPRTD THAT WHEN THE ACDNT OCCURRED, THERE WAS SOME LIGHT IN THE WEST, BUT THERE WAS DARKNESS TO THE EAST. THE PLT HAD ONLY ABOUT 2 HRS OF DUAL INSTRUCTION IN THIS ACFT, NONE OF WHICH WAS IN AEROBATICS. NO OTHER FLT TIME IN THIS ACFT WAS VERIFIED, THOUGH HE HAD 2 BACK SEAT FLTS IN A SIMILAR MAKE & MODEL OF ACFT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1990_ATL90FA120.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.