Amateur-built REVELATION accident near Ellisville, Mississippi, December 13, 2014
On December 13, 2014 at about 8:40 pm local time, a 2013 amateur-built REVELATION, registered N783QJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Ellisville, Mississippi (Hesler-Noble Field). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the uncertified engine's front connecting rod needle bearing, which resulted in damage to the front piston and a subsequent loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to operate the airplane with the uncertified engine over a town that had no suitable area to land.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 13, 2014 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Ellisville, Mississippi · Hesler-Noble Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built REVELATION, built 2013
- Registration
- N783QJ · no longer on the register · serial RE00/0007
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, while in cruise flight over a town, the engine lost total power. During the forced landing to a cemetery, the airplane's left wing struck a tree, and the airplane then veered left and impacted a tombstone and nosed over. The pilot further reported that the fuel tank was about 3/4 full when the engine lost power. Examination of the engine revealed that the front connecting rod needle bearing had failed, which resulted in damage to the front piston and led to the loss of engine power. The engine manufacturer's instruction and maintenance manual warned that the engine was uncertified and that it was "subject to sudden failure." The manual further warned to "never use an aircraft fitted with this engine in areas, conditions and altitudes that may cause problems if forced to land as a result of sudden engine failure." The pilot should not have operated the airplane with the uncertified engine over a town that had no suitable place to land in the event of an engine failure.
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 engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Failure
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Contributed to outcome
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,640 hours in all; 81 in this make and model; 68 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 2,632 as pilot in command; 325 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 10, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 81 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 9, 2014; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Zanzottera MZ202R00872 (piston); 81 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LUL Laurel MS at 8:25 pm
- Destination: LUL Laurel MS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 8:35 pm from KPIB, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on September 23, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector’s Emailed Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Engine Manufacturer's Instruction and Maintenance Manual [excerpt] | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum for Record – Pine Belt Weather | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 1 – Main Wreckage from the Right (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 2 – Airplane Engine and Propeller (Courtesy of the FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.