Unknown Free Bird Sportlite accident near McCullough, AL
On January 27, 2008, an Unknown Free Bird Sportlite (airplane) was involved in an accident near McCullough, AL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 27, 2008
- Place
- McCullough, AL
- Aircraft
- Unknown Free Bird Sportlite · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 31.167°N, 87.525°W
- NTSB ID
- 20080210X00160
Official records · NYC08LA087
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On January 27, 2008, about 1630 central standard time, an amateur-built Free Bird Sportlite 103, N75474, was destroyed during impact with terrain near McCullough, Alabama. The non-certificated pilot was killed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR), the pilot owned the accident airplane, but had not yet obtained an FAA sport pilot certificate. The pilot had purchased the airplane from a private individual through the Internet, and the airplane did not come with any manuals. The airplane was two-seat tandem, with the engine mounted on the rear of the high wing. The airplane had a basic empty weight of approximately 500 pounds (lbs), and a maximum gross weight of 900 lbs. The airplane was equipped with a Two Stroke International model 690L-70 engine. The 70-horsepower engine was the heaviest engine available for the airplane. Due to the engine's weight, it may have created an aft center of gravity (CG) condition for the airplane. Such circumstances would required modification to move the CG forward, prior to the DAR certifying the airplane. The DAR added that under the provisions of federal aviation regulation (FAR) 21.191, the pilot was in the process of registering and certifying the airplane as an experimental light sport airplane (E-LSA), by a January 31, 2008 deadline. Beyond the deadline, the airplane was no longer eligible for ultralight exemption
Probable cause
The non-certificated pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering. Contributing to the accident was the non-certificated pilot's improper decision to conduct a flight prior to the airplane being properly inspected and certified.
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Browse: Alabama
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
