NTSB CAROL · Event
Event SEA88FA012
Registry · N15653
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
SPAULDING DAVE RANS S-7 COURIER
Year of manufacture
1993
Engine
AMA/EXPR UNKNOWN ENG
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19940208
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A0E39C
Registrant of record
TURNER CHARLES P
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
ALTHOUGH THE RECENTLY CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT WAS NOT CHECKED OUT BY THE FIXED BASE OPERATOR FOR NIGHT FLIGHT AND HAD BEEN WARNED TO RETURN BEFORE SUNSET, HE DEPARTED THE AIRPORT DURING DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS. WITNESSES REPORTED OBSERVING THE AIRCRAFT CLIMB OUT AND THEN EXECUTE A RIGHT TURN BACK TOWARDS THE AIRPORT DURING WHICH THE CLIMB EVOLVED INTO A DESCENT. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND IN A RIGHT WING DOWN NOSE LOW ATTITUDE ON A BEARING CLOSELY APPROXIMATING THE DOWNWIND FOR THE DEPARTURE RUNWAY AND AT A POINT ROUGHLY 1600 FEET ABEAM THE EXTENDED RUNWAY CENTERLINE. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION WAS EVIDENT; NOR WAS THERE ANY EVIDENCE OF ANY PREIMPACT PILOT IMPAIRMENT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1987_SEA88FA012.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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