NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ATL94FA043
Registry · N72M
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
SCHMITT MICHAEL J V 173 ELT RG/MJS-SB
Year of manufacture
2003
Engine
LYCOMING I0360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20030924
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A9A246
Registrant of record
MAGICAL THING AIR LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN FLYING SPEED WHILE MANEUVERING THE AIRPLANE WHICH RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF CONTROL AND THE COLLISION WITH THE GROUND.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On January 23, 1994, at 1130 eastern standard time, a Culver LCA, N72M, collided with the ground while maneuvering to join a formation flight of three other aircraft near Lake City, South Carolina. The personal flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane was destroyed, and the private certificated pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The flight departed Lake City at 1115 hours. According to a witness flying another airplane, he and the Culver approached two Aeronca Champs from the rear. As he joined the formation, the Culver failed to join up but passed the formation. The Culver was next seen in a steep left turn which progressed into a stall/spin. The witness believed that, the Culver was attempting to join the formation prior to entering a descending stall/spin.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
Information on the pilot is included in this report at the data field labeled "First Pilot Information".
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
Information on the aircraft is contained in this report at the data field labeled "Aircraft Information".
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. Weather information is contained in this report at the data field labeled "Weather Information".
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
Aircraft wreckage debris was scattered over an area forty feet square.The wreckage was orientated on a northerly magnetic heading. The aircraft was found in an upright position with the cockpit's roof displaced downward. Examination of the ground around the airplane revealed an imprint from the right wing leading edge. The engine was buried about two feet into the ground just forward the cockpit area. Examination of the flight control system failed to disclose a mechanical problem with the system. An engine examination also failed to disclose a mechanical malfunction or component failure (see attached engine examination).
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
The post mortem examination on the pilot was performed by Dr. Sandra Condra on January 24, 1994 at the Medical University in Charleston, South Carolina. The toxicological examinations detected the following: Pseudoephedrine in the blood Pseudoephedrine in the urine Ephedrine in the blood 0.041 (ug/ml. ug,g) Doxylamine in the blood 23.00 (ug/ml, ug/g) Acetaminophen in the urine. According to the manager of the Federal Aviation Administration Toxicology and Accident Research Laboratory, the above detected levels were at or below therapeutic levels.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The aircraft wreckage was released to: Mr. Harry Brooks (Insurance Adjustor) Atlanta, Georgia. A WITNESS, FLYING IN ANOTHER AIRPLANE, OBSERVED THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE AS IT APPROACHED TWO OTHER AIRPLANES IN FORMATION, FROM THE REAR. THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT EXECUTED A LEFT TURN AND ENTERED A STALL/SPIN; THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE FAILED TO DISCLOSE A MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR COMPONENT FAILURE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1994_ATL94FA043.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall, loss of control). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
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The Hazard of Volcanic Ash Ingestion
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Multi-Partner Experiment to Test Volcanic-Ash Ingestion by a Jet Engine
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