Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Support the IDS in College Media Madness! Donate here March 24 - April 8.
Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

FAA: Plane home-built, flown without valid registration

Federal Aviation Administration, fire and police responders investigate the scene of a plane crash near Monroe County Airport on Thursday afternoon.

Editor's Note: A previous story from Sept. 19 stated the plane’s tail number as N5160W, as obtained from FAA Spokesman Tony Molinaro. The correct tail number is N516SW. The IDS regrets this error.

Not much is known about the plane that crashed near North Oard Road outside Bloomington’s west side Thursday afternoon.

What is known, however, is the tail number was N5160W, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Tony Molinaro.

The tail number unlocks at least some information regarding the ?aircraft.

This particular aircraft’s registration expired in November 2013. Before the registration lapsed, the aircraft was in the name of James F. Akin of Aurora, Co., according to the Federal Aviation Administration website.

As of Sept. 18, the FAA listed the aircraft’s registration as not renewed, listing “expiration” as the reason for its cancellation. Therefore, at the time of flight, the aircraft did not have a current registration listed with the FAA.

Akin is also listed as the manufacturer, which means Akin built the aircraft himself, Molinaro said.

“That means it’s a home-built aircraft,” Molinaro said. “That was the owner and the person that built the plane.”

The FAA registry lists the reservation on the N-number, or the tail number of the plane, as being on hold without a reserving party.

Molinaro said there is no way to be certain of why this is, but a ?possible explanation would be that the plane was recently sold but the registration had not yet been completed in the new owner’s name.

The registration certificate for the 1995 Hurricane model aircraft was issued to Akin in August 2007.

The plane was a single-engine aircraft. Due to the condition of the wreckage, there is no way to determine how many passengers were on board.

The remains of two men were found in the wreckage, but their bodies were not immediately identifiable, according to a statement from the Indiana State Police.

Get stories like this in your inbox
Subscribe