Amateur-built Team Z Max accident near Huntsville, Alabama, May 31, 2002
On May 31, 2002 at about 5:43 pm local time, a amateur-built Team Z Max, registered N1995Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Huntsville, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a take off climb resulting in a loss of control (inadvertent stall) and the subsequent in-flight collision with terrain. A factor was the lack of total experience in type of aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 2002 · about 5:43 pm local time
- Place
- Huntsville, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Team Z Max
- Registration
- N1995Z · no longer on the register · serial 526
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he encountered a downdraft on takeoff, attempted a forced landing, failed to maintain airspeed and crashed. Witnesses stated the airplane was observed in a steep climb, stalled, recovered, and stalled again disappearing behind the tree line. Review of weather data for the departure airport revealed no reported gusts or downdraft. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane prior to the collision. A review of the pilot's flight time information showed that he had recorded 97 total flight hours of which 1 hour was in the Team Z Max airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 97 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 40 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 28, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 65 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 30, 2001; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 560 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Komatsu-Zenagh Z50 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3M5 Huntsville AL at 5:35 pm
- Destination: 3M5
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,100 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from HSV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.