North American SNJ-5 N4LH
23 February 1996 · West Palm Beach, Florida, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 23 February 1996 at about 16:35 local time, a North American SNJ-5 registered N4LH, operated by North American Top GUN, was involved in an accident near West Palm Beach, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 16:35
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- West Palm Beach, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- 26.7907, -80.2098
- Aircraft
- North American SNJ-5
- Registration
- N4LH
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- North American Top GUN
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Palm Beach → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA96LA086
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to maintain adequate altitude/clearance above the water, while performing a low level maneuver (wing over). The pilot's ostentatious display of aerobatic flight was a related factor.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Several witnesses observed the airplane flying over water about 1 to 2 miles east of the coastline. The airplane was observed to dive towards a boat. It then pulled up and performed a maneuver described as a wing-over to the left. The airplane was observed to dive again. During the pull up, the tail section of the airplane collided with the water. Only portions of the airplane were recovered.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other North American SNJ-5 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Aug 1995 | North American SNJ-5 | Luray, Virginia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1997 | North American SNJ-5 | Mesa, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Sep 1994 | North American SNJ-5 | Reno, Nevada, United States | Same AS Registered Owner | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 Mar 1994 | North American SNJ-5 | Houston, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Dec 1993 | North American SNJ-5 | Santa Paula, California, United States | American Airpower Heritage | No injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 2000 | North American SNJ-5 | Elk Park, North Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Mar 1996 | Cessna 150M | Ormond Beach, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 1996 | Cessna 152 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1996 | Robinson R-22-BETA | Bunnell, Florida, United States | International Helicopter Acad. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Mar 1996 | Cessna 150F | Ocala, Florida, United States | TOM McGhee Aircraft | No injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1996 | Cessna 172N | New Smyrna Bch, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Mar 1996 | Enstrom F-28C | Defuniak Spring, Florida, United States | Robert D. Duda | Minor injuries | - |