John T Simpson CHALLENGER II N11644

Summary

On 6 December 1997 at about 15:07 local time, a John T Simpson CHALLENGER II registered N11644, operated by Bruce Diener, was involved in an accident near Rainbow City, Alabama, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 December 1997 at 15:07

Classification

Accident

Location

Rainbow City, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Southside Airport (PVT)

Coordinates

33.8907, -86.0197

Aircraft

John T Simpson CHALLENGER II

Registration

N11644

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Bruce Diener

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL98LA018

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall and subsequent impact with the ground. A related factor was the pilot's lack of flying experience.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses stated that the airplane appeared over the tops of the trees, flying towards them. The witnesses saw the airplane gain altitude, then stall into the trees, and nose dive into the ground. The pilot had about 5 hours of flight training in another airplane. According to the co-owner of the airplane, the non-certificated pilot had no formal training in the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.