Interplane LLC Skyboy-2 accident near Covington, Tennessee, December 20, 2003
On December 20, 2003 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Interplane LLC Skyboy-2, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Covington, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 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 adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and collision with the ground. A factor was the unqualified person (pilot).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 2003 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Covington, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Interplane LLC Skyboy-2
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 073-2003
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the flight was not known, however the unqualified person and a 6 year old passenger were on board the airplane at the time of the accident. The witnesses at the accident site stated, the airplane took off to the south and was flying approximately 500 feet above the ground, when it circled to come back (to land). Witnesses stated that the airplane pitched up, then down, and entered a spin to the right. The airplane spun around about 4 to 6 times before the airplane collided with the ground. The eyewitnesses rushed to the accident site and found the downed airplane. They also reported that the rear mounted engine was still running and the propeller was turning upon their arrival at the accident site. The post -accident examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane rested in a nose down attitude in an open field. The nose section of the airplane was buried several inches into the mud. The empennage section of the airplane was attached to the airframe. The vertical and horizontal stabilizers appeared not to be damaged. Both wing tips were touching the ground at the point were the airplane rested. The post-accident examination of the airplane failed to disclose any mechanical malfunction or component failure. No pilot log books were recovered for examination, and there were also no records of the pilot's qualification as a trainer in the Skyboy 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
- Flight time: 4 hours in all; 4 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,232 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Covington TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MEM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.