Amateur-built Jodel D-9 accident near Memphis, Tennessee, May 6, 2005
On May 6, 2005 at about 5:40 pm local time, a amateur-built Jodel D-9, registered N5164J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Memphis, Tennessee (General Dewitt Spain 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 misjudgment of distance/altitude, and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed resulting in a stall and subsequent undershoot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 2005 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee · General Dewitt Spain · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Jodel D-9
- Registration
- N5164J · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot purchased the one-seat airplane and had never flown this make and model before. A witness standing at the airport's midfield reported the airplane's takeoff appeared normal, and the airplane entered the airport's traffic pattern and made one bounced landing. Witnesses stated the airplane then made several traffic patterns, and each time around, the airplane got lower and slower. According to a witness, on the airplane's last pattern, it turned base and was very slow with the nose high, and when it turned final, it spun about half a turn to the left and dove straight into the ground. Examination of the accident site revealed the airplane came to rest nose-down approximately 500 feet short of the runway 34 threshold. Examination of the airframe and powerplant revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunction.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 319 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 212 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 1, 2004
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A&C75 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KM01 Memphis TN at 5:10 pm
- Destination: Nashville TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KMEM, 11 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.
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.