Bellanca 8KCAB N31254

Summary

On 31 January 2009 at about 21:25 local time, a Bellanca 8KCAB registered N31254, operated by Ray K. Davis, was involved in an accident near Moscow, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 January 2009 at 21:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Moscow, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

35.1000, -89.2000

Aircraft

Bellanca 8KCAB

Registration

N31254

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Ray K. Davis

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Olive Branch → Olive Branch

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09LA147

1 person died.

The pilot's initiation of a low altitude maneuver followed by an uncontrolled descent into terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed solo from his home airport for a local, personal flight. About 13 minutes later, an eyewitness observed the airplane “vertical going up and nosed over to the right and went straight down…” He heard a “light thud” and realized the airplane had crashed. He reported that the engine “seemed fine, no missing, running strong.” The witness estimated that the pilot was maneuvering at less than 1,000 feet above the ground. The wreckage was found in a nose-low attitude at the edge of a small lake. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure. Propeller signatures were indicative of engine power at impact. The pilot, who was also a captain for a major air cargo operator, had recently acquired the airplane and had logged approximately 13 hours in the aerobatic airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.