Bellanca 8KCAB accident near Moscow, Tennessee, January 31, 2009
On January 31, 2009 at about 9:25 pm local time, a Bellanca 8KCAB, registered N31254, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Moscow, Tennessee. 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 initiation of a low altitude maneuver followed by an uncontrolled descent into terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 31, 2009 · about 9:25 pm local time
- Place
- Moscow, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8KCAB · all 8KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N31254 · no longer on the register · serial 4872
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed solo from his home airport for a local, personal flight. About 13 minutes later, an eyewitness observed the airplane “vertical going up and nosed over to the right and went straight down…” He heard a “light thud” and realized the airplane had crashed. He reported that the engine “seemed fine, no missing, running strong.” The witness estimated that the pilot was maneuvering at less than 1,000 feet above the ground. The wreckage was found in a nose-low attitude at the edge of a small lake. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure. Propeller signatures were indicative of engine power at impact. The pilot, who was also a captain for a major air cargo operator, had recently acquired the airplane and had logged approximately 13 hours in the aerobatic 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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 10,050 hours in all; 13 in this make and model
- Last flight review: January 9, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,213 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 2008; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-E1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OLV Olive Branch MS at 9:13 pm
- Destination: OLV Olive Branch MS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from OLV, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.