Sidney FREEBIRD accident near Lexington, TN
On August 8, 2004, a Sidney FREEBIRD (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lexington, TN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 8, 2004
- Place
- Lexington, TN
- Aircraft
- Sidney FREEBIRD · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.650°N, 88.391°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040811X01194
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 8, 2004, at 1017 central daylight time, an unregistered FREEBIRD experimental airplane, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, collided with the ground while on final approach to Franklin Wilkins Airport, Lexington, Tennessee. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The unregistered airplane was destroyed. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The flight originated from Lexington, Tennessee, on August 8, 2004, at 1012. The son of the pilot stated his father took the airplane to Franklin Wilkins Airport to conduct a test flight because he did not have any flight time in the FREEBIRD airplane and he was unfamiliar with its flight characteristics. His father intended to ground taxi the airplane, allow it to get airborne, and land until he was familiar with the airplane. His father informed him, that if the airplane stalled, he would push the nose over to gain airspeed. He watched his father completed a preflight inspection and no anomalies were noted. His father started the airplane and taxied it in the grass area next to the runway. The son observed the airplane become airborne, and the nose pitched up, and down. The son stated he was surprised when his father continued the takeoff instead of landing the airplane. The speed of the airplane increased and the airplane stabilized, as his father continued the takeoff climb. The airplane was observed to enter left closed traffic for runway 15, and was between 100 to 250 feet above the ground. The airplane turned final, a decrease in engine power was heard, an
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, resulting in an inadvertent stall, and collision with the ground. A factor was the pilot's total lack of experience in type of aircraft.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
