- Date
- September 30, 2003, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Obion, TN
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N39SSheppard S-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Memphis FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030930037509A
- Case key
- 58113
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of the elevator control pushrod, that resulted in an uncontrolled descent and subsequent in-flight collision with ground.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
According to the pilot, while practicing steep turns at 2500 feet, elevator control was lost. The airplane began an uncontrolled descent, and collided with the ground. Examination of the airplane revealed that the elevator control pushrod was broken. Review of the maintenance records revealed that the 1977 Sheppard S-2 airplane had accumulated a total of 1184 total airframe hours. No record of the time in service was recovered for the failed component. Efforts to obtain information from the pilot was not successful.
Factual narrative
On September 30, 2003, at 1700 central daylight time, a Sheppard S-2, N39S, registered to and operated by a private pilot, lost control in-flight and collided with the ground in Obion County, Tennessee. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the pilot received serious injuries. The flight departed Union City, Tennessee, on September 30, 2003, at 1645.
According to the pilot, while practicing steep turns at 2500 feet, elevator control was lost. The airplane began an uncontrolled descent, and collided with the ground. Examination of the airplane revealed that the elevator control pushrod was broken. Review of the maintenance records revealed that the 1977 Sheppard S-2 airplane had accumulated a total of 1184 total airframe hours. No record of the time in service was recovered for the failed component. Efforts to recover information from the pilot failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39S
- Reported as
- Sheppard S-2
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- GS-2
- Airframe hours
- 1,184
- Engine
- Lycoming OV-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Griffin Neil A
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- Obion, TN
- Destination
- Obion, TN
- Airport
- UCY · Everett-Stewart
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 125 total · 52 in this make and model · 52 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.27 inHg
- Observed at
- DYR
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.