Eskildsen STEEN SKYBOLT N7KE

Summary

On 6 May 2013 at about 00:30 local time, a Eskildsen STEEN SKYBOLT registered N7KE, operated by Construction Engineering Services LLC, was involved in an accident near Easton, Minnesota, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 May 2013 at 00:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Easton, Minnesota, United States

Coordinates

43.7186, -93.9011

Aircraft

Eskildsen STEEN SKYBOLT

Registration

N7KE

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

Construction Engineering Services LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mankato → Mankato

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13LA256

1 person died.

The pilot's medical incapacitation due to an acute cardiac event after performing aerobatic maneuvers.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot performed aerobatic maneuvers for about 5 minutes near a friend's farm and then departed the area. About a minute later, the airplane reappeared and began a left bank that became a spiral descent until ground impact. An examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The autopsy revealed that the pilot had severe coronary artery stenosis in the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery. According to the pilot's wife, although he had symptoms that may have been related to this disease, he had not received medical attention for them, so the disease was undiagnosed. She added that he had experienced dizziness while previously flying aerobatic maneuvers. In addition, both the pilot's father and grandfather experienced premature sudden cardiac death, which doubled the his risk of having sudden cardiac death. The autopsy was unable to determine whether an acute cardiac event occurred at the time of the accident. However, based on the pilot's recent medical symptoms, severe fixed coronary artery stenosis, and family history of sudden cardiac death and the additional physiologic stress of performing aerobatics, it is likely that the pilot became incapacitated due to an acute cardiac event and lost control of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.