- Date
- October 10, 1993, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Bay St. Louis, MS
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N320SEEhlers Lancair 320
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931010038459A
- Case key
- 37446
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 pilot-in-command's failure to maintain airspeed resulting in an in flight loss of control (stall/spin) and subsequent in flight collision with trees and terrain.
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
The private pilot was observed landing on runway 35. The airplane touched down left of center line, bounced, and touched down a second time in a left skid. The airplane became airborne reaching about 60 to 80 feet agl in a nose up attitude estimated at about 70 degrees. The left wing dropped, the airplane rolled left, the nose pitched down, and the airplane collided with trees and terrain.
Factual narrative
On October 10, 1993, at about 1430 central daylight time, a Ehlers, Lancair 320, N320SE, registered to Craig S. Ehlers, crashed on landing at Stennis International Airport, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The airplane was destroyed. The private pilot sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The fight originated from Stennis International Airport about 5 minutes before the accident.
A witness who observed the accident stated to the NTSB investigator-in-charge that the airplane had made one touch-and- go landing before to the accident. The witness observed the airplane on final approach to runway 35. The airplane touched down left of center line, bounced, and touched down a second time in a left skid. The airplane became airborne reaching about 60 to 80 feet agl in a nose-up attitude estimated at about 70 degrees. The left wing of the airplane was observed to drop, the airplane rolled left, the nose pitched down as if the airplane was in a stall, and the airplane collided with the trees and the terrain.
Examination of the crash site by the FAA revealed no evidence to indicate any precrash mechanical failure or malfunction of the airframe or flight control system. In addition the FAA inspector stated in a written statement to the NTSB investigator-in-charge that, "There seemed to be no indication of a split flap situation or any type of preimpact failure."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N320SE
- Reported as
- Ehlers Lancair 320 (LANCAIR 32)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 620365-320FB
- Airframe hours
- 15
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ehlers, Craig S.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 16, 1993 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- 3RG
- Destination
- 3RG
- Airport
- 3R6 · Stennis Int Airport, runway 35, 8,500 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 197 total · 11 in this make and model · 157 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GPT, 20 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.