- Date
- September 1, 1986, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mt Olive, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N548YAJoe Almon Falcon XP
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860901043039A
- Case key
- 7177
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.
Analysis
While apchg to land, the registered ultralight acft encountered a downdraft which exceeded its climb performance. The acft was headed twd power lines, so the plt elected to fly under the lines. As the ultralight was crossing under the power lines, one of its vertical fins hit the bottom cable which disabled the acft's left rudder control. The acft turned to the rgt twd a hill & would not climb sufficiently to clear over trees. The plt intentionally allowed the acft to mush into the trees while he still had control.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N548YA
- Reported as
- Joe Almon Falcon XP
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 600134
- Engine
- Rotax 503, 50 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Larry D. Wilkinson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 13, 1985 · 9 hours before
- Airport
- Private, runway 18, 2,000 × ft, grass/turf
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 125 total · 3 in this make and model · 51 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BHM
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.