Event ATL94LA122

Factual narrative

On June 19, 1994, about 1045 eastern daylight time, a Stephen Akro homebuilt airplane, N69TA, collided with the ground during an uncontrolled descent at Advance, North Carolina. The airplane was operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A flight plan was not filed for the personal, local flight. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight was originating, at the time of the accident, from the Twin Lakes Airport, Mocksville, North Carolina. Witnesses at the airport stated that the pilot commented that he intended to do a fly-over, for his wife, at Farmington, North Carolina. After lift off, the airplane was observed to level off and accelerate. It then climbed to about 200 feet, above the ground, and began a steep left turn, as if to over fly the departure runway. When the turn was initiated, the nose dropped and the airplane disappeared behind tall trees. One witness, an FAA Operations Inspector, stated that the sound of the engine was full power until impact. The FAA inspector who visited the accident site reported that the airplane impacted the ground in a steep nose down attitude, in a right turn. He stated that all structural support failures resulted from ground impact, and that the flight control rigging and movement was proper. The last inspection of the airplane was a conditional inspection that was accomplished by the pilot, who was also a mechanic, on April 16, 1994. A post mortem examination of the pilot was conducted by F.W. Slate, M.D., Davie County Medical Examiner, Post Office Box 407 Mocksville, North Carolina 27028. The examination report stated that the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries. Reports of toxicological examinations of the pilot, conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and by the FAA Toxicology and Accident Research Laboratory, indicated that no alcohol or other drugs were detected. AFTER TAKE OFF, WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE BEGIN A STEEP LEFT TURN. THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE DROPPED AND THE AIRPLANE DISAPPEARED BEHIND TREES. THE INSPECTOR WHO EXAMINED THE WRECKAGE NOTED THAT THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE PILOT HAD 163 TOTAL FLIGHT HOURS WITH TEN HOURS IN THE SAME AIRPLANE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12