- Date
- August 30, 1986, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Rome, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N545JSBenham Midget Mustang M-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860830044909A
- Case key
- 7174
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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.
Loss of control - in flight
Weather condition - tailwindFactor
Wrong runway - selectedCause
Clearance - inadequateCause
Directional control - not maintainedCause
Self-induced pressureCause
In flight collision with terrain/water
Analysis
The plt reported he took off too close behind a preceding acft and was caught in the wing tip vorticies. The vortices combined with a 110 deg left crosswind (wind 070/20 gusting higher) resulted in a loss of control and ground impact. The plt said he was in a hurry to get home before dark.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N545JS
- Reported as
- Benham Midget Mustang M-1 (MIDGET MUS)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1001
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-D, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John E. Sims
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 21, 1981
- Destination
- Evansville, IN
- Airport
- RMG · Richard B. Russell, runway 18, 6,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Flight hours
- 2,049 total · 310 in this make and model · 1,718 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ATL, 37 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.