American Legend Aircraft CO AL18 accident near Abbeville, Louisiana, December 12, 2021
On December 12, 2021 at about 7:50 pm local time, a 2021 American Legend Aircraft CO AL18, registered N1477D, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Abbeville, Louisiana (Abbeville Chris Crusta Memoria 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An electrical fire for reasons that could not be determined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 12, 2021 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Abbeville, Louisiana · Abbeville Chris Crusta Memoria · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Legend Aircraft CO AL18, built 2021 · all AL18s on the register
- Registration
- N1477D · registry record · serial AL-1238
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that after takeoff, he turned onto the downwind leg of the traffic pattern and smelled an electrical odor. He continued to land, stopped the airplane, and shut off the engine and electrical systems. As he tried to determine where the smell originated, he saw smoke from the rear seat area and then he saw flames from the left side of the airplane. He exited the airplane and it continued to burn. The airplane sustained fire damage to the fuselage and both wings. In a telephone conversation with the pilot, he noted that the only electrical components he was aware of in the area where he first saw the smoke was near the electronic connector for his active noise-cancelling headset. Due to the amount of fire damage, it was not possible to determine the source of the electrical fire.
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
What happened, in order
- Electrical system malf/failure during initial climb defining event
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during initial climb
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Electrical power system › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,100 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: May 10, 2020
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 28, 2021
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor OX-340 SERIES; 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from KIYA, 3 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KIYA 121955Z AUTO 03007KT 10SM CLR 16/02 A3023 RMK AO2 T01610023=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N1477D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN22LA072.