- Date
- June 28, 1997, 10:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Muscle Shoals, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N626BASloan RV-6
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970628016259A
- Case key
- 38302
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's failure to see-and-avoid the bales of hay duirng the takeoff roll, which resulted in an in-flight collision with a bale at liftoff and subsequent in-flight collision with 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 pilot stated before takeoff, he noted bales of hay located along both sides of the takeoff area. He began the takeoff roll on the backside of a small hill. As the airplane came over the top, the pilot realized the airplane's heading was too far to the left. Full right rudder did not correct the situation. The pilot pulled back on the yoke, the airplane became airborne, and the left wing collided with a hay bale.
Factual narrative
On June 28, 1997, about 1015 central daylight time, a Sloan RV-6 experimental airplane, N626BA, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed while on takeoff roll from a private strip near Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged. The commercial-rated pilot reported no injuries. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The pilot stated, before the takeoff roll, he noted bales of hay located along both sides of the takeoff area. The pilot began the takeoff roll on the backside of a small slope. As the airplane came over the top of the slope, the pilot realized the airplane was heading into obstacles and that he had 3 to 5 seconds to react before a collision with a hay bale would occur. Full right rudder did not correct the situation. The pilot pulled back on the yoke, the airplane became airborne, the left wing collided with the bale of hay, and spun around 180 degrees before impacting the terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N626BA
- Reported as
- Sloan RV-6
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 20650
- Airframe hours
- 127
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Alexander Moses Sloan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 21, 1996 · 47 hours before
- Destination
- MSL · AL
- Airport
- runway 36, 1,500 × 40 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
- 68
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 661 total · 127 in this make and model · 13 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MSL, 9 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.