Amateur-built CHALLENGER II accident near Rainbow City, Alabama, December 6, 1997
On December 6, 1997 at about 3:07 pm local time, a amateur-built CHALLENGER II, registered N11644, was destroyed in an accident near Rainbow City, Alabama (Southside 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 adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall and subsequent impact with the ground. A related factor was the pilot's lack of flying experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 6, 1997 · about 3:07 pm local time
- Place
- Rainbow City, Alabama · Southside Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CHALLENGER II CHALLENGER
- Registration
- N11644 · no longer on the register · serial 0395-Y-1313
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses stated that the airplane appeared over the tops of the trees, flying towards them. The witnesses saw the airplane gain altitude, then stall into the trees, and nose dive into the ground. The pilot had about 5 hours of flight training in another airplane. According to the co-owner of the airplane, the non-certificated pilot had no formal training in the airplane.
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
- Flight time: 5 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 65 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 26, 1997; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Bombardier ROTAX 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT AL at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 2,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:16 pm from GAD, 5 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.