Boeing Stearman A75N1 N56856
29 August 1998 · Big Bear, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 29 August 1998 at about 20:15 local time, a Boeing Stearman A75N1 registered N56856, operated by Twin-D Enterprises Inc, was involved in an accident near Big Bear, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Big Bear, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 34.2301, -116.8601
- Aircraft
- Boeing Stearman A75N1
- Registration
- N56856
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Twin-D Enterprises Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Big Bear → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX98LA279
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's encounter with an unfavorable wind condition, which caused the aircraft to descend at a rate that exceeded the aircraft's climb capability.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The aircraft was part of a flight of two aircraft conducting for-hire sightseeing flights from the airport. After the aircraft turned on to the crosswind leg, downdrafts were encountered by both aircraft. The accident aircraft made a turn to the left and the trailing aircraft turned to the right. The accident aircraft recovered close to the ground, collided with a telephone pole, and came to rest inverted. The aircraft was destroyed by a postimpact fire. The pilot of the aircraft stated that there were no mechanical anomalies experienced with the aircraft. The aircraft was at full power, but not gaining altitude. A witness to the accident reported that approximately 5 miles southeast of the airport were rain showers. The aircraft was examined and control continuity was established. No mechanical anomalies were noted. This was the sixth flight of the day, with no discrepancies noted with the previous flights. At the time of the accident the weather was deteriorating. Meteorological data showed the presence of instability and convective activity conducive to up and downdrafts near the accident site.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Boeing Stearman A75N1 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jun 1998 | Boeing Stearman A75N1 | Riverbank, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Mar 1999 | Boeing Stearman A75N1 | Mesa, Arizona, United States | Russell L. Allen | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jun 1997 | Boeing Stearman A75N1 | Lemoore, California, United States | Ronald A. Caraway | No injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 2001 | Boeing Stearman A75N1 | Shelton, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 2002 | Boeing Stearman A75N1 | Bardstown, Kentucky, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 10 Feb 2002 | Boeing Stearman A75N1 | Creswell, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 1998 | Cessna 152 | Avalon, California, United States | Orange County Flight Center | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Oct 1998 | Grumman TS-2A | Banning, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Aug 1998 | North American NAVION | Salinas, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 21 Aug 1998 | Bell 206B | Salinas, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 1998 | Robinson R22B | Ramona, California, United States | Civic Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 1998 | Aerospatiale SA316B | Porterville, California, United States | U.s. Dept. of the Interior | No injuries | - |