Bishop-Christian EAGLE II accident near Cambridge, IN
On March 15, 1996, a Bishop-Christian EAGLE II (airplane) was involved in an accident near Cambridge, IN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 15, 1996
- Place
- Cambridge, IN
- Aircraft
- Bishop-Christian EAGLE II · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.811°N, 85.170°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X05380
NTSB summary
On March 15, 1996, at 1427 eastern standard time, a Bishop- Christian Eagle II, N219RC, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed when it collided with the ground while in a flat spin attitude. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight originated from New Castle, Indiana, exact time unknown. Witnesses observed the airplane doing aerobatics for 15 to 20 minutes. One witness said the airplane "...went into ...[a] vertical climb, after a few seconds of steady climbing I could hear the engine begin to slow from the pilot throttling back so the aircraft would stall. Just before it stalled the left wing tip dropped and the aircraft went into a counterclockwise flat spin with the nose slightly down." He said the engine was still running at idle or slightly above idle speed. Two other witnesses confirmed the description given by the witness who described the flat spin. The on-scene investigation was conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI). The PMI reported the airplane did not produce a ground scar during its impact sequence. He said the airplane's upper wing and top section of the fuselage had collapsed toward the bottom wing and fuselage. One propeller blade had impacted the ground and was bent aft about 90 degrees at the hub. The PMI stated there were no mechanical anomalies with the engine, airframe, or control system that would prevent flight. He said he observed a fluid that was similar in colo
Probable cause
the pilot allowed the airplane to enter a flat spin, while performing an acrobatic maneuver, and was unable to recover before ground impact. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot's overconfidence in his personal ability, and his lack of familiarity with the airplane's flight characteristics.
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Browse: Indiana
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
