Earnest Jodel D-9 accident near Memphis, TN
On May 6, 2005, an Earnest Jodel D-9 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Memphis, TN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 6, 2005
- Place
- Memphis, TN
- Aircraft
- Earnest Jodel D-9 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 35.201°N, 90.054°W
- NTSB ID
- 20050510X00580
Official records · ATL05LA078
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On May 6, 2005, about 1240 central daylight time, an Earnest Jodel D-9 amateur-built experimental airplane, N5164J, registered to an individual owner and operated by the private pilot, collided into the ground during approach to General Dewitt Spain Airport, Memphis, Tennessee. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The private pilot received fatal injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed General Dewitt Spain Airport about 1210 on May 6, 2005. The seller of the airplane reported the pilot purchased the one-seat airplane on May 6, 2005 and wanted to fly it home. A witness standing at the airport's midfield reported the airplane's takeoff from runway 34 appeared normal, and the airplane entered a left pattern for runway 34. The witness stated the airplane was flying low on the downwind leg, and it made a tight turn to the final approach. Witnesses reported the airplane appeared to touch down in the grass short of the runway 34 threshold, and then it bounced into the air and made a go-around. Witnesses stated the airplane then proceeded to make several left traffic patterns for runway 34, and each time around the airplane got lower and slower, and each time the airplane made a pass over the runway without touching down. A witness stated that, on the last pattern, the airplane appeared to be about 200 feet above the ground on the downwind. The witness stated the airplane turned base and was very slow with the nose high. He stated that
Probable cause
The pilot's misjudgment of distance/altitude, and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed resulting in a stall and subsequent undershoot.
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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.
