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Accidents · NTSB ERA12LA364 · Final report

Moyes B/Bailey B DRAGONFLY accident near Trenton, Georgia, May 26, 2012

On May 26, 2012 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Moyes B/Bailey B DRAGONFLY, registered N56FP, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Trenton, Georgia (Lookout Mountain 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 airplane's entry into an uncontrolled descent for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation and it could not be determined whether the pilot had experienced an incapacitating medical event.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
May 26, 2012 · about 8:30 pm local time
Place
Trenton, Georgia · Lookout Mountain · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Moyes B/Bailey B DRAGONFLY
Registration
N56FP · registry record · serial 002Y
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot departed in the experimental light-sport airplane without incident, climbed to an altitude of about 350 to 400 feet above ground level, and flew to a nearby ridgeline. Witnesses reported that the airplane looked slow as it flew parallel to the ridgeline and subsequently entered a left spiraling dive, making two descending 360-degree turns before it impacted trees. The nature of the airplane's departure from controlled flight was consistent with a stall. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane was equipped with a ballistic parachute system that was found in the armed for flight position; however, it had not been activated. The pilot was familiar with the accident airplane and had flown it regularly during the previous 2 years. The pilot's most recent Federal Aviation Administration medical examination was performed about 9 years before the accident. At the time of the accident, the pilot was taking a medication for the treatment of hypertension. The medical examiner noted no significant gross natural disease or focal myocardial lesions during autopsy; however, it could not be determined whether the pilot became incapacitated before the airplane's descent.

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

  1. Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
  2. Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
  3. Unknown or undetermined during unknown

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
  • cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Not specified

Pilot

  • Certificate: airline transport pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
  • Flight time: 3,000 hours in all
  • Medical certificate: Class 2
  • Seat: frt
  • Injury: fatal

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 3,515 hours
  • Last inspection: condition inspection, April 5, 2012; 75 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 992 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Rotax 914 (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: 0GE3 Trenton GA at 8:25 pm
  • Destination: 0GE3 Trenton GA
  • Flight plan: none

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 040° at 6 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 ft
  • Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
  • Observation at 8:53 pm from CHA, 15 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

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.