Amateur-built FREEBIRD accident near Lexington, Tennessee, August 8, 2004
On August 8, 2004 at about 3:17 pm local time, a amateur-built FREEBIRD, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Lexington, Tennessee (Franklin Wilkins airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, resulting in an inadvertent stall, and collision with the ground. A factor was the pilot's total lack of 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
- August 8, 2004 · about 3:17 pm local time
- Place
- Lexington, Tennessee · Franklin Wilkins · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built FREEBIRD
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial NONE
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot purchased the non-registered airplane and was conducting a test flight to become familiar with the flight characteristics of the airplane. The pilot did not have any flight time in the FREEBIRD airplane. The pilot informed his son, that he was going to ground taxi the airplane, allow the airplane to get airborne, and land the airplane before he continued the takeoff. The pilot also stated, if he encountered a stall, he would push the nose of the airplane over to gain airspeed. The pilot conducted a preflight inspection and no anomalies were noted. The son stated his father started the ground taxi, the airplane became airborne, and the nose of the airplane was observed to pitch up and down. The son was surprised when his father continued the takeoff instead of landing the airplane. As the speed of the airplane increased the airplane stabilized, and the airplane continued in a climb. The airplane was observed to enter left closed traffic for runway 15, and was between 100 to 250 feet above the ground. The airplane was observed turning to final, and a decrease in engine power was heard. The airspeed of the airplane decreased. The nose of the airplane was observed to pitch down, up, down, and back up about 45-degrees before the left wing dropped down. The son stated, "he knew the airplane had stalled, and watched it descend and collide with the ground." Performance data for the FREEBIRD indicates the airplane will stall at 32 mph. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, and engine assembly and accessories revealed no anomalies.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 970 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: M52 Lexington TN at 3:12 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from MKL, 26 miles away
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.
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.