Event ATL97LA094

Factual narrative

On July 1, 1997, about 1615 central daylight time (CDT), a Maule MX-7-180C, N71VF, collided with the ground, near the Dyersburg Airport, Dyersburg, Tennessee. The flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The commercial pilot received minor injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The departure time is unknown. The pilot stated that he was landing on runway 34 when he "bounced on landing and weathervaned into the wind". He initiated a go-around, "in order to not impose severe sideload on the landing gear". The airplane remained in ground effect, and the pilot gradually retracted the flaps to build up his airspeed. The pilot stated that the airplane would not "climb quickly enough to clear a hedgerow perimetering a golf course". The airplane struck the hedgerow, the left wing struck a tree, and the airplane rotated approximately 135 degrees. Subsequently, the left main gear struck a "barbed-wire fence and was torn from the airframe". The airplane came to rest on the golf course. According to the Sheriff's report, the pilot stated that he was "landing on runway 34 and the plane began to veer to the left and he decided to try and go around. The plane did not get enough altitude, causing the plane to veer to the left with the left wing tip striking the ground and then plow through a fence row coming to rest in the number six fairway, heading south". There were no mechanical malfunctions reported by the pilot. According to the Sheriff's Report, the pilot stated that he was leaving another airplane at the airport for an inspection and was picking up N71VF for a test flight with its newly installed avionics equipment. He stated that he stopped in Kenneth, Missouri for fuel, and then returned to Dyersburg, stating that he was having problems with the new radio and was returning to have it inspected. The pilot purchased N71VF, a 1997 MX-7-180C, new and had accumulated 11 hours total airframe time. The engine left the Lycoming factory on 10/19/96. The pilot stated in the accident report that an annual inspection would be the type of maintenance program. The last inspection was prior to leaving the factory. The pilot stated that he was landing on runway 34 when the airplane 'bounced on landing and weathervaned into the wind.' He said he initiated a go-around and gradually retracted the flaps to build up his airspeed; however, the airplane remained in ground effect. The pilot stated that the airplane would not 'climb quickly enough to clear a hedgerow perimetering a golf course.' Subsequently, the airplane struck the hedgerow and crashed onto the golf course. Ambient conditions at the time of the accident included high temperature and high density altitude. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12