| Crash location | 34.754444°N, 89.162778°W |
| Nearest city | Ashland, MS
34.832872°N, 89.175903°W 5.5 miles away |
| Tail number | N9074W |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 18 Sep 2004 |
| Aircraft type | Lemuel May Leza-Lockwood Aircam |
| Additional details: | None |
On September 18, 2004, about 1345 central daylight time, a homebuilt Lemuel May Leza-Lockwood Aircam, N9074W, registered to a private individual, experienced a loss of engine power from both engines and collided with and remained suspended in a tree during a descent for a forced landing in the Holly Springs National Forest, near Ashland, Mississippi. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight from the pilot's airstrip (May Field), located in Ashland, Mississippi. The airplane was substantially damaged and the non-certificated pilot and one passenger were not injured. The flight originated about 15 minutes earlier from May Field.
The pilot stated the airplane was equipped with manual fuel shutoff valves located in each engine compartment which can only be accessed while on the ground; the valves were installed following building of the airplane to prevent fuel migrating into the oil reservoir. Both valves were closed when the flight departed, and shortly after takeoff when the pilot turned off both auxiliary fuel pumps, both engines quit. While descending for a forced landing, the airplane collided with and remained suspended in a 100-foot-tall tree. The pilot further stated there was no checklist for the airplane which would have prevented the accident, and there was no mechanical failure or malfunction.
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation for his failure to assure that the fuel shutoff valves located in both engine compartments were turned on and also the failure of the pilot to have a checklist to outline preflight items.