Aero Vodochody L39C accident near Rainbow City, AL
On January 21, 2012, an Aero Vodochody L39C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Rainbow City, AL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 21, 2012
- Place
- Rainbow City, AL
- Aircraft
- Aero Vodochody L39C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.952°N, 86.101°W
- NTSB ID
- 20120120X01941
Official records · ERA12FA149
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Rainbow City Fire Dept Radio Log: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 20, 2012, at 1818 central standard time (CST), an experimental exhibition, Aero Vodochody L39C airplane, N16RZ, collided with trees while maneuvering in the vicinity of Rainbow City, Alabama. The airplane was registered to Fighter Town USA LLC, and was operated by a private individual as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane sustained substantial damage and a postcrash fire ensued. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The certificated airline transport pilot (ATP) was fatally injured. The flight departed from Northeast Alabama Regional Airport (GAD), Gadsden, Alabama, about 1817, en-route to Burlington, North Carolina. A witness stated the pilot arrived at a maintenance facility to pick up the airplane in the afternoon. He conducted a prefight inspection in the hangar and the airplane was towed outside. The pilot performed the before start engine checks, started the engine, and taxied to runway 24 in preparation for takeoff. He conducted an engine run up and departed. The witness walked back inside the hangar and heard two loud explosions. An employee from the fixed base operator came by and stated the airplane had crashed in a wooded area off the departure end of runway 24. The pilot called the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Birmingham Approach Control at 1815 via radio, while on the ground at GAD and requested his IFR clearance. The controller asked what runway he would be departing from and the pilot replied runway 24. The controller issued
Probable cause
An in-flight loss of control in instrument meteorological conditions.
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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.
