Amateur-built B8M accident near Walls, Mississippi, September 14, 1982
On September 14, 1982 at about 11:15 pm local time, a amateur-built B8M (gyroplane), registered N2311E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Walls, Mississippi (Delta Flying Service airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 1982 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Walls, Mississippi · Delta Flying Service
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built B8M
- Registration
- N2311E · no longer on the register · serial 32363
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT AFTER HE TOOK OFF AND CLIMBED TO ABOUT 100 FT AGL, HE TRIED TO TURN, BUT FOUND HE HAD NO CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. HE THEN REDUCED THE POWER AND CRASH LANDED INTO A SOYBEAN FIELD. AN EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE LOWER LEFT CONTROL PUSH ROD ATTACHING BOLT WAS MISSING.
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; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 291 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Mcculloch 99 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Walls MS at 6:10 pm
- Destination: Walls MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,500 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 190°F (88°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.