Moravan ZLIN Z50 LA accident near Springfield, Tennessee, December 20, 1995
On December 20, 1995 at about 6:22 pm local time, a Moravan ZLIN Z50 LA, registered N6660B, was destroyed in an accident near Springfield, Tennessee. 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 aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 1995 · about 6:22 pm local time
- Place
- Springfield, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Moravan ZLIN Z50 LA ZLIN Z50 L
- Registration
- N6660B · no longer on the register · serial 0004
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses in the area stated that, at about 1215, they heard the airplane overhead for several moments. The airplane engine sounded as though the airplane were slowing down and then speeding up during this time, but the witnesses did not see the airplane. They later observed the airplane disappear into a valley in a near vertical dive. The airplane impacted the terrain about 5 miles northwest of the departure airfield in a near vertical attitude. There was continuity of the aircraft flight controls. The medical examiner did not note any irregularities in the autopsy report that might have resulted in pilot incapacitation. The pilot's flight logbook did not show any evidence of prior experience in the Zlin Z50 LA.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,443 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 972 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 29, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 1,719 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE TN
- Destination: CKV Clarksville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 am from MKL, 40 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.