Amateur-built PIETENPOL AIRCAMPER accident near Dundee, Mississippi, June 10, 2016
On June 10, 2016 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 1984 amateur-built PIETENPOL AIRCAMPER, registered N67RH, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Dundee, Mississippi (Grass Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a power line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 2016 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dundee, Mississippi · Grass Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PIETENPOL AIRCAMPER NO SERIES, built 1984
- Registration
- N67RH · no longer on the register · serial 67-74
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 80 year old pilot usually flew with his son and not by himself. On the day of the accident, he intended to fly solo around a lake and then return to the private landing strip to pick up his son for an additional flight together. The pilot took off from the landing strip and flew over some property that he used to own. The pilot stated that he blacked out and did not recall the accident. The last thing he remembered was turning back to the lake. He then heard voices and people were helping him into a boat. According to a witness, she observed the airplane flying south over the lake behind her house and then strike a power line that extended from the lake bank near the rear of her house, across the water to the island. After striking the power line, the airplane "nosedived" into the lake. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during maneuvering defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Other loss of consciousness › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 900 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 9, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 1,070 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Dundee MS at 9:45 pm
- Destination: PVT Dundee MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 1,863 ft by 55 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots, gusting 11
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from CKM, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on December 7, 2016. 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 | Witness Statements and Interview Summaries | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Satellite Image of Accident Area | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array (Courtesy of Ccso) | PDF, 4 pages | 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.