Amateur-built Mohawk 1 accident near Camdenton, Missouri, July 14, 2001
On July 14, 2001 at about 6:45 pm local time, a amateur-built Mohawk 1, registered N109WR, was destroyed in an accident near Camdenton, Missouri (Camdenton Memorial 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 not performing an aborted takeoff and the inadvertent stall he encountered on his inadvertent initial climb. Factors were his inadvertent lift-off, the reported inadequate rudder control, his inadvertent flight with known deficiencies, and the transmission wire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 2001 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Camdenton, Missouri · Camdenton Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Mohawk 1
- Registration
- N109WR · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental amateur built airplane was destroyed by impact with a transmission wire, with terrain, and by fire following an in-flight loss of control during climbout. An interview with a witness who had test flown the accident aircraft that morning, noted that, "On the final flight [the witness] found it controllable, but very sensitive to elevator inputs and almost unresponsive to rudder input during flight. [The witness] said he only flew it around the traffic pattern once that morning. ... [The witness] told [the owner] it was OK for taxi, but not safe to fly, and [the owner] departed to taxi it up and down the runway. After some taxiing on the runway, [the witness] observed the aircraft lift-off from runway 15, yaw noticeably to the left, recover and continue climbing out. About 1/2 mile away, he observed it begin a turn to the left, pitch up, stall, and begin a spin to the right. He said it did about 3/4 of a full right spin, disappeared behind trees off the end of the runway and exploded, apparently on impact with the ground." The wind was 140 degrees at 3 knots. The Sheriff's stated, "The craft was located in a field South of [road] 5-120 near Show Me Electrics power lines. ... It appears that the craft struck the ground finally resting on it's top. ... That prior to the craft making contact with the ground it appears that the leading edge of the left wing struck the 'Center Phase' power line approx nine feet from the wing tip."
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: 970 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: December 28, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, April 26, 2001
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: H21 Camdenton MO at 6:45 pm
- Destination: Camdenton MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 3,428 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 pm from AIZ, 10 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.