Aero Vodochody L-39C accident near Pecan Island, LA
On February 10, 2001, an Aero Vodochody L-39C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Pecan Island, LA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 10, 2001
- Place
- Pecan Island, LA
- Aircraft
- Aero Vodochody L-39C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 30.375°N, 92.399°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010220X00467
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 10, 2001, approximately 1200 central standard time, an Aero Vodochody L-39C experimental single engine jet airplane, N901NL, registered to and operated by Northern Lights Aerobatics USA Inc., of Lafayette, Louisiana, was destroyed upon impact with terrain while maneuvering in the vicinity of Pecan Island, Louisiana. The private pilot and his passenger sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The flight originated from the Lafayette Regional Airport, Lafayette, Louisiana, at 1137. Several witnesses, located within 1/4 miles of the accident site, observed the tandem-seat jet aircraft maneuvering at low altitude over the pilot's hunting camp for several minutes prior to the accident. They stated that the jet was flying "inverted" prior to ground impact. A few of the witnesses remarked that they observed what they thought to be the pilot attempting to roll upright as the airplane impacted the ground at a high rate of speed. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The 40-year old pilot held a private pilot certificate with single-engine land and rotorcraft-helicopter ratings. A review of the pilot's logbook revealed that he had accumulated 2,058 hours, of which 316 were in the L-39C. All of the 316 hours in the L-39C were logged from March 1999 to the date of the accident. Documents were found that indicated that the pilot had been enrolled in a pilot training course for the L-39C during March 1999, conducted at Inter
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance from terrain while performing low level aerobatics. A factor was fatigue.
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Browse: Louisiana
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
