For Immediate Use    July 10, 1936

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

BUREAU OF AIR COMMERCE

Washington

STATEMENT OF PROBABLE CAUSE CONCERNING AN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT WHICH OCCURRED TO A PRIVATELY OWNED AIRPLANE AT BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY ON MAY 5, 1936

To the Secretary of Commerce

On May 5, 1936, at approximately 6,00 p.m., at Bowling Green, Kentucky, a privately owned airplane met with an accident resulting in death to the pilot and passenger, and the complete destruction of the aircraft.

The airplane, an Invincible Model 200, was not licensed by the Bureau of Air Commerce but bore unlicensed identification number 55N. The pilot, Alfred M. Causey, held a Federal student pilot’s license and was owner of the aircraft involved. The passenger was William Lynch.

According to statements of witnesses, Student Pilot Causey had been flying all afternoon, giving his friend a ride. Several times he had dived at buildings, and in recovery pulled the airplane up to very nearly its stalling position. On the fatal flight, he took off, circled the airport at about 400 feet, dived toward a crowd of people on the airport, and when within about 100 feet of the ground, pulled the airplane up into a vertical climb. At the top of this climb he allowed the airplane to stall, resulting in a spin from which he had insufficient altitude for recovery.

There was no evidence of engine or structural failure. The engine had been ruining well up to the start of the spin. Examination of the wreckage showed the rudder and elevator controls to be intact.

It is the opinion of the Bureau of Air Commerce that the probable cause of this accident was loss of control of the aircraft due to carelessness and a willful disregard of safety regulations by the pilot.

Respectfully submitted,

Eugene L. Vidal

Director of Air Commerce

The Bureau of Air Commerce wishes to call attention to the violations of the Air Commerce Regulations involved in this accident. These regulations if adhered to would have prevented this accident. Violations involved in this flight were

1.

Student pilot carrying a passenger.

2.

Acrobatics over a congested area.

3.

Acrobatics under 1500 feet.

4.

Acrobatics without parachutes.