Amateur-built CORBAN BABY ACE accident near Pleasant View, Tennessee, January 30, 1999
On January 30, 1999 at about 6:00 pm local time, a amateur-built CORBAN BABY ACE, registered N24562, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pleasant View, Tennessee (Blue Bird Field). 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 failure of owner of sod runway to properly maintain the runway, the pilots failure to properly preflight the takeoff area before departure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 1999 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pleasant View, Tennessee · Blue Bird Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CORBAN BABY ACE CORBAN BAB
- Registration
- N24562 · registry record · serial 415-26-8958
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he was flying the experimental airplane on a friend's private airstrip near Pleasant View, Tennessee. During takeoff roll the airplane accelerated to approximately 35 knots and the main landing gear collided with a hole in the sod runway and the airplane nosed over. According to the pilot he did not see the hole in the sod runway. Examination of the airplane showed structural damage to the airframe. The pilot did not report any mechanical problem with the airplane. The pilot also did not report conducting a visual inspection of the runway surface before attempting the takeoff.
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: 500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 741 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1998; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A&C65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 1,900 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: ovct at 21 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from BNA, 50 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.