Avid Aircraft IV accident near Memphis, Tennessee, July 21, 1997
On July 21, 1997 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Avid Aircraft IV, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N913R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Memphis, Tennessee (General Spain airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 during takeoff. A factor in the accident was the repositioning of the control stick.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 1997 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee · General Spain · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Avid Aircraft IV, amateur-built
- Registration
- N913R · no longer on the register · serial 1390D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the homebuilt stated that he had just completed an adjustment to the elevator pushrod to reposition the control stick. During takeoff, at about 55 miles per hour the airplane lifted off due to the new stick position and he lost control. The airplane veered right and impacted a fence off the side of the runway.
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
- Flight time: 12 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, May 14, 1997; 12 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Unknown (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: M01 at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 3,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.