NTSB CAROL · Event
Event FTW94FA149
Registry · N88LG
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CIRRUS DESIGN SF50
Year of manufacture
2022
Engine
WILLIAMS FJ33-5A
Seats / Engines
7 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20220128
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AC1C7D
Registrant of record
WJD SERVICES LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
AN INADVERTENT STALL SPIN. A FACTOR WAS THE PILOT'S PERFORMANCE OF AEROBATIC MANEUVERS AT AN INADEQUATE ALTITUDE.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On May 7, 1994, approximately 1614 mountain daylight time, N88LG, a Robl RV4, was destroyed when it impacted terrain while maneuvering 5 miles west of Elbert, Colorado. The private pilot and a passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. According to the Kelly Airpark manager, the pilot called on the radio and said he was going to make a low pass from south to north. The manager and several pilot-witnesses watched the airplane pass over the field about 20 feet above the ground. Although their observations varied slightly, most agreed the pilot pulled up to 800 feet, did a wing-over, and entered a spin. One pilot-witness said she saw the airplane stop spinning just before the impact. She said the nose pitched up abruptly, the airplane entered an accelerated stall, and disappeared from view in a flat attitude.
CREW INFORMATION
A review of the pilot's logbook disclosed he had taken a total of 2.1 hours aerobatic instruction in a Beech T-34, Citabria 7KCAB, and Grumman AA-1C in 1992. He had also logged 7.1 hours of solo aerobatic flight. Between 1993 and 1994, the pilot logged 9.1 hours solo aerobatic flight in the Robl RV4. The aerobatics consisted of loops, rolls, inverted flight, wingovers, and spins. Pertinent logbook entries are attached as exhibits to this report.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The airplane came to rest in the middle of Ben Kelly Road, less than one mile north of the gliderport, on a magnetic heading of 165 degrees. There was a 3-foot interruption in the ground on the north shoulder of the road on a magnetic heading of 180 degrees. Seven feet beyond was the 23-foot wide dirt road. Another 7-foot ground interruption extended to the tail of the airplane (see Wreckage Distribution chart). Both horizontal stabilizers were bent down. There were four interruptions in the fuselage: at the engine firewall, at the front pilot's seat, at the rear pilot's seat, and at the vertical stabilizer. All of the interruptions were in a downward fashion. The fuselage was slightly twisted to the left (see photos.) Measurements indicate the flaps were extended approximately 10 to 15 degrees. The shattered descending wooden propeller blade was separated from the hub. The ascending blade remained attached.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy (#94A-128) and toxicology screen were performed by the El Paso County Coroner's Office in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The only substances detected were caffeine and a 5% saturation of carbon monoxide.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The wreckage was released to the owner's representative on May 9, 1994. THE PILOT RADIOED HE WAS GOING TO MAKE A LOW NORTH-SOUTH PASS OVER THE GLIDERPORT. WITNESSES SAID THE AIRPLANE FLEW 20 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, PULLED UP TO 800 FEET, DID A WINGOVER, AND ENTERED A SPIN. ONE WITNESS SAW THE AIRPLANE STOP SPINNING JUST BEFORE IMPACT. SHE SAID THE NOSE PITCHED UP ABRUPTLY, THE AIRPLANE ENTERED AN ACCELERATED STALL, AND DISAPPEARED FROM VIEW IN A FLAT ATTITUDE. THE PILOT'S LOGBOOK REVEALED 2.1 HOURS OF AEROBATIC INSTRUCTION AND 7.1 HOURS SOLO AEROBATICS IN VARIOUS AIRPLANES IN 1992. IN 1993 AND 1994, THE PILOT LOGGED 9.1 HOURS OF SOLO AEROBATICS IN THE RV4, INCLUDING LOOPS, ROLLS, INVERTED FLIGHT, WINGOVERS, AND SPINS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1994_FTW94FA149.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
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