Amateur-built Smyth Sidewinder accident near Independence, Kansas, December 28, 2001
On December 28, 2001 at about 7:29 pm local time, a amateur-built Smyth Sidewinder, registered N133G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Independence, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane and the subsequent inadvertant stall during the base to final turn. A factor associated with the accident was that an unqualified person was piloting the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 28, 2001 · about 7:29 pm local time
- Place
- Independence, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Smyth Sidewinder
- Registration
- N133G · registry record · serial 212357
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with the terrain following an inflight loss of control approximately 1/4 mile east-northeast of a private airstrip. One witness reported the airplane made a touch and go landing on the airstrip just prior to the accident. The witness then saw the airplane flying to the east, traveling slow at an altitude of about 100 feet above the ground. He reported the airplane then turned south followed by a turn back to the east-northeast. The witness reported the last bank was "very steep." He reported that during the turn the right wing (top wing) dropped and the airplane descended straight into the ground. The owner of the airplane who was seated in the left seat, was not a certificated pilot. The owner/operator of a fixed base operator where the airplane was based reported the owner had flown the airplane an estimated 15 to 20 times prior to the accident and that he "usually" took passengers with him. This person also said that the owner was receiving flight instruction from a local pilot. (The local pilot was not a flight instructor and his pilot's certificate had been suspended.) The pilot rated passenger who occupied the right seat held a private pilot certificate. Inspection of the airframe, flight controls and engine failed to reveal any failure/malfunction that would have resulted in the loss of control. The airplane did not have an airworthiness certificate.
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
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-G4 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CFV Coffeyville KS
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.71 inHg
- Observation at 6:52 pm from CFV, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 CHI02FA059.