Kolb Company MK II accident near Sweetwater, Tennessee, September 22, 2007
On September 22, 2007 at about 7:11 pm local time, a Kolb Company MK II, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N43046, was destroyed in an accident near Sweetwater, Tennessee (West Wind Airpark 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 control of the airplane during climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 2007 · about 7:11 pm local time
- Place
- Sweetwater, Tennessee · West Wind Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Kolb Company MK II, amateur-built
- Registration
- N43046 · no longer on the register · serial M2-121
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness recalled that the non-certificated pilot seemed "rusty" or unfamiliar with the assembly of the amateur-built airplane. The witness watched as the airplane "wobbled" into the air during climbout, and approximately 1 mile from the departure airport, the nose pitched down and continued straight down until it disappeared behind trees. No pilot or aircraft logbooks were recovered. Examination of the wreckage revealed no obvious mechanical deficiencies, and that the airplane was equipped with a ballistic recovery parachute. The parachute was deployed, but did not inflate.
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
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TN64 Sweetwater TN at 7:11 pm
- Destination: TN64 Sweetwater TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 870 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 800 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from KMMI, 9 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 N43046 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.