Steele Samuel D RV-4 accident near Picayune, MS
On January 15, 2010, a Steele Samuel D RV-4 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Picayune, MS. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 15, 2010
- Place
- Picayune, MS
- Aircraft
- Steele Samuel D RV-4 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 30.556°N, 89.456°W
- NTSB ID
- 20100119X00527
Official records · ERA10LA120
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 15, 2010, about 1450 central standard time, an experimental, amateur-built RV-4, N107SS, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain near Picayune, Mississippi. The certificated private pilot/owner and the passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which originated at Mint Julep Airpark (5MS5), Picayune, Mississippi, about 1445. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. During an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, an acquaintance of the pilot stated that he and the pilot were performing maintenance on their respective airplanes at the pilot's home. The pilot was attempting to fix the accident airplane's autopilot, which was experiencing a "power flicker" in-flight that he was not able to duplicate on the ground. After replacing a ground wire, the pilot reassembled the airplane and prepared the airplane for a test flight. About 1445, the pilot and the passenger boarded the accident airplane, the engine started, and the airplane taxied out and departed to the north. The acquaintance described the takeoff as "normal," and that it was the last time he saw the accident airplane. A witness, who was standing about 1/4 mile northwest of the runway, saw the airplane shortly after it departed. He noticed that the airplane was low, and that it appeared that it was "about to do some tricks." The airplane rolled to the left and pitched down, then impacted the
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. Contributing to the accident was the overweight and aft-center-of-gravity condition of the airplane at takeoff.
More accidents in MS
- Beech A36TC, May 16, 2016
- Cessna 336, Sep 15, 2004
- Piper PA-24-180, May 8, 1999
- Mooney M20C, Jul 30, 2005
- Beech A36, Dec 3, 1983
Browse: Mississippi
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
