Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Pinson, Alabama 35126
Saturday, March 31, 2001 9:40 CST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The flight departed Tuscaloosa, Alabama, enroute to Gadsden, Alabama. When the flight did not arrive, search and rescue operations were initiated. The airplane wreckage was located on April 6, 2001, at about the 1,000 foot msl level, on the west side of Village Mountain, near Pinson, Alabama. Examination of the crash site showed the airplane had flown from a valley, easterly, into rising terrain. The airplane crashed into trees while in cruise flight and came to rest about 100 feet from the top of the mountain. All components of the airplane were located at the crash site. Post crash examination of the aircraft structure, flight controls, engine, and propeller, showed no evidence of precrash failure or malfunction. The Birmingham International Airport surface observation taken about 13 minutes after the accident was clouds 500 feet overcast with visibility 3 miles in drizzle. Birmingham is located 15 statute miles south-southeast of the accident site, at an elevation of 636 feet msl. The person who lives in the residence adjacent to the accident site reported that on the day of the accident the clouds obscured the mountain and visibility was low all day. The FAA had no record that the pilot had received a weather briefing from an FAA facility.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's continued visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions resulting in the airplane colliding with mountainous terrain.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/31/2001 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 940 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Standard Time |
| Event City | Pinson |
| Event State | ALABAMA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 35126 |
| Event Date Year | 2001 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 334448N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0863740W |
| Event Location Airport | -- |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | -- |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 953 Central Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 210 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | BHM |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 636 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 15 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | -- |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 3 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 11 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 10 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 260 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 8 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29.94 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 600 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 10755 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 31 2001 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2030 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Oct 17 2001 9:02AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Birmingham |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N49LK |
| NTSB Number | MIA01LA113 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | Y |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Larry R. Kinsey |
| Aircraft Model | Variez O-235 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 376 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1050 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Conditional |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 606 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Larry R. Kinsey |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 2903 7th St. |
| Aircraft Owner City | Tuscaloosa |
| Aircraft Owner State | AL |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 35401 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | -- |
| Operator State | -- |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | -- |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | TCL |
| Departure City | Tuscaloosa |
| Departure State | AL |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 910 |
| Departure Time Zone | CST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | GAD |
| Destination City | Gadsden |
| Destination State | AL |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 27 2001 3:21PM |
| User who most recently changed record | PREJ |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | -- |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |