NTSB Factual Report

On November 3, 2001, at 1310 eastern standard time, a James E. Bass, Moni Motor Glider, N117JB, collided with the ground while maneuvering at Mallard's Landing, a private airstrip, in Locust Grove, Georgia. The aircraft was owned and operated by the pilot, and the personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the airline transport pilot received fatal injuries. The local flight departed Locust Grove, Georgia, at an undetermined time.

The aircraft and several others were participating in a fly-in at Mallard's Landing. According to witnesses, the aircraft executed a high-powered pass approximately 25 feet above ground level down runway 07, then performed an abrupt pull-up into steep climbing loop maneuver. About 200 to 300 feet above the ground, the aircraft was inverted at the top of the loop, then it rolled upright and entered what appeared to be a stall, followed by a spin, and collided with the ground in an 80-degree nose-low attitude. Two witnesses reported the engine "burped," while other witnesses reported the engine sounded as if it were running smoothly.

Examination of the accident site revealed wreckage debris was scattered over an area approximately 40 feet square in the back yard of a residence adjacent to the sod runway. Debris from the propeller spinner and cowling was embedded in the ground, and the propeller assembly was separated and found 30 feet from the main wreckage. The nose section was separated, and the wings displayed extensive perpendicular crush damage from the leading edge aft. Continuity was established from the cockpit controls to the flight control surfaces. Engine continuity was established and both cylinders exhibited compression when the engine was turned by hand. The carburetor was destroyed.

The Operator's Manual for the Rotax 447 engine states on Page 4-3, "This engine is not suitable for acrobatics (inverted flight, etc.)," and on Page 4-2, "Never fly the aircraft equipped with this engine at locations, airspeeds, altitudes, or other circumstances from which a successful no-power landing cannot be made after sudden engine stoppage."

The postmortem examination of the pilot was performed on November 4, 2001, by Dr. John B. Parker at the Henry County Medical Center Morgue in Stockbridge, Georgia. Blount force trauma The Forensic toxicology was performed by the FAA Toxicology and Accident Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The tests were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, drugs and alcohol.

The aircraft maintenance logbooks were not recovered for examination.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a low-altitude aerobatic maneuver, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and subsequent uncontrolled descent into terrain.