# Accident 19970824045789A: Amtr FIRESTARII, Albany, GA, August 24, 1997 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: August 24, 1997, 16:45 local time - Place: Albany, GA - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: In Traffic Pattern-Circling - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 31.5785° N, 84.1557° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Albany, GA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.5785&lon=-84.1557&mi=10 - Aircraft: NONE (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: AMTR FIRESTARII - Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX503 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 2,000 total - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970824045789A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19) ON AUGUST 24, 1997, ABOUT 1630 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A FIRESTAR-II, COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN MANEUVERING FLIGHT NEAR ALBANY, GEORGIA. THE AIRPLANE WAS FLOWN BY THE PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 AND VISUAL FLIGHT RULES. VISUAL METEORLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. ORIGINATION OF THE FLIGHT WAS A PRIVATE STRIP, ABOUT 1600. ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR, THE PILOT WAS FLYING SMOOTHLY UNTIL HE SEEMED TO HAVE STALLED THE AIRPLANE, LOOSING CONTROL. THE AIRPLANE HIT THE GROUND PERPENDICULAR NOSE FIRST. THE OPERATOR STATED HE KNEW OF NO MEDICAL PROBLEMS OR FLIGHT CERTIFICATES HELD BY THE PILOT PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT. THE OPERATOR HAD JUST BUILT THE AIRPLANE AND BROUGHT IT TO A PRIVATE STRIP. THE PILOT OFFERED TO FLY THE AIRPLANE TO A NEARBY AIRPORT FOR THE OPERATOR. THE OPERATOR STATED THAT DURING FLIGHT THE PILOT APPEARED TO QUIT FLYING THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE STALLED AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. HE ALSO STATED, THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS UNREGISTERED AND HAD PROVISIONS FOR TWO SEATS AND TWO FIVE GALLON FUEL TANKS. AFTER THE A CCIDENT, THE OPERATOR STATED HE LEARNED THAT THE PILOT HAD DIABETES AND WAS BEING TREATED WITH DIALYSIS THREE TIMES A WEEK. (.4)ACCORDING TO THE OWNER AND BUILDER OF THE AIRPLANE, THE PLANE TOOK OFF FROM A GRASS STRIP THAT WAS ABOUT 700 FEET LONG. THE PILOT CIRCLED THE GRASS STRIP 4 TIMES AND MADE A LOW PASS OVER THE STRIP. HE THEN TURNED THE AIRPLANE BACK TOWARDS THE FIELD, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED TO STALL. IT CRASHED NOSE FIRST INTO THE TERRAIN. ACCORDING TO THE OWNER, THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT THE SCENE. ABOUT THREE MONTHS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT HAD APPLIED FOR A 2ND CLASS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE, WHICH WAS DENIED BECAUSE HE WAS CONFUSED, FORGETFUL, AND EVASIVE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT HAD INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS AND KIDNEY FAILURE FOR WHICH HE WAS RECEIVING HEMODIALYSIS THREE DAYS A WEEK. IN FEBRUARY 1993, THE PILOT WAS ADMITTED TO A HOSPITAL WITH A LEFT PARIETAL INTRACEREBRAL HEMARRHAGE (STROKE) AND SEIZURES, AND IN JANUARY 1996, HE WAS ON THREE ANTI-SEIZURE MEDICATIONS. THE PILOT DID NOT REPORT THESE CONDITIONS TO THE FAA. (-23) ON AUGUST 24, 1997, AT ABOUT 1645 EST, A KOLB FIRESTAR II APPEARED TO STALL DURING THE APPROACH TO LANDING AND IMPACTED THE GROUND, NOSE FIRST. THE PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED AND THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING WHEN WITNESSES REACHED THE CRASH SITE. THE AIRPLANE WAS THOUGHT TO BE AN ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE, HOWEVER IT DID NOT FIT THE PARAMETERS OF FAR 103 ## NTSB investigation None matched to this report by aircraft and date. Search the NTSB's own records: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/basic-search From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.