- Date
- July 12, 1996, 17:15 local (22:15 UTC)
- Place
- Lascassas, TN
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N398MTTocholke 1300-Z MAX
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 30, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960712017019A
- Case key
- 38048
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
failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering (turning) after takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent stall at too low of an altitude to allow recovery.
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 pilot stated that after takeoff to the west, he performed a left turn to the south; during the turn, 'the left wing stalled after experiencing turbulence,' and the airplane struck the ground at a 'level attitude' on level terrain. Rescue personnel asked the pilot what happened, and he said that he had just taken off, 'made a hard bank left and lost it. It was my fault....' An FAA inspector stated, the pilot told him that he had no mechanical problems with the airplane or the engine. An examination of the engine and airframe revealed no discrepancy.
Factual narrative
On July 12, 1996, about 1715 central daylight time, a homebuilt, Tocholke 1300-Z, N398MT, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91, personal, local flight, crashed while on takeoff from a private airport near Lascassas, Tennessee . Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was destroyed. The private pilot received serious injuries.
The pilot stated that after takeoff to the west, he performed a left turn to the south, during the turn, "the left wing stalled after experiencing turbulence," and the airplane struck the ground at a "level attitude" on level terrain. Rescue personnel asked the pilot what happened, and he said that he had just taken off, "made a hard bank left and lost it. It was my fault...."
The FAA Inspector stated that the pilot told him that he had no mechanical problems with the airplane or the engine. An examination of the engine and airframe revealed no discrepancies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N398MT
- Reported as
- Tocholke 1300-Z MAX
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 398
- Airframe hours
- 140
- Engine
- Zenoah G50C-011143, 45 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Martin Tocholke
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · July 12, 1996 · 140 hours before
- Airport
- runway 27, 900 × 60 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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 429 total · 140 in this make and model · 379 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.