- Date
- September 23, 1989, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Franklinton, LA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2ATSours/Midget Mustang SM-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 10, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890923035959A
- Case key
- 22737
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
A total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Trees in the emergency landing area were a related factor.
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
During flight, the engine started running rough. The pilot declared an emergency & was vectored to an airport. Just before turning base, the engine lost power. Subsequently, the airplane impacted trees and crashed. No reason was found for the power loss.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2AT
- Reported as
- Sours/Midget Mustang SM-1
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- SM-001
- Airframe hours
- 609
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-E2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Clifford Grabowski
- Registered owner
- Clifford T Grabowski
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · August 14, 1989 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- NEW · New Orleans, LA
- Destination
- GTR · Columbus, MS
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 2R7 · Franklinton, runway 31, 3,000 × 75 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
- 36
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 920 total · 200 in this make and model · 15 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NEW, 48 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.