Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot delayed in recovering from the aerobatic maneuver.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot was performing aerial maneuveres for a crowd of people involved in a cookout. Witnesses stated that the pilot had done several aerobatic maneuvers which ended with an undetermined number of 360 degree spins. The airplane had stopped spinning, leveled its wings, and raised its nose to a relatively level attitude, but was still descending when it hit the ground. The pilot died of accident related injuries 11 days following the accident.
Source record
Factual narrative
On August 28, 1993, at 2020 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped homebuilt Morgan Steen Skybolt MI-2 airplane, N23JM, crashed while performing aerobatics 22 miles east of Nome, Alaska. The airline transport pilot, the sole occupant, received serious injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The personal local flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, departed Nome at approximately 1945. Visual meteorological conditions existed, and no flight plan was filed. Several witnesses reported seeing the airplane execute a three turn spin, then level the wings just before it impacted the ground. -