19961123036279A

(-23) On November 23, 1996, at 1445 CST, a north American T-28B, N3178U, registered to james h. price, collided with trees resulting in collision with terrain. The location was about seven miles south of sommerville, TN off of price road and watkins road in an open field. The flight was personal with visual meteorological conditions prevailing at the time. No flight plans was filed. The aircraft was destroyed. The owner/operator was fatal. The flight originated at olive branch airport, Mississippi. I was the memphis FSDO inspector on telephone standby and received the call from the southern region communications center at 3:20 pm November 23, 1996. The sommerville, TN sherriff's department reported the accident/fatality had occurred at 2:45 pm about 7 miles south of sommerville off of price road and watkins road. The aircraft was identified as N3178U amd the fatality was james howard price. Jeff kennedy, of the NTSB was contacted and the NTSB delegated the accident scene investigation to the FAA. Three FSDO inspectors arrived on the scene at 8:30 am on November 24. The aircraft had struck a line of tree tops which initially separated the right wing at the attach point. W reckage was scattered for about 300 yards and the earth was scorched from the initial impact. The fuselage came to rest inverted with all control surfaces and engine separated. Part of the left wing and fuel tank remained with the fuselage and the cockpit area burned completely. Mr. Price was known to have been carrying his pilot log books and the aircraft log books in the aircraft due to ispections at air shows. The books were destroyed in the post accident fire. There is a private air strip less than a mile away where the aircraft was observed performing maneuvers. The aircraft had flown down the runway at 200 to 400 feet on a straight and level pass just prior to the accident as reported by the airport owner with no apparent problems.