Aero Vodochody L-39C accident near Pecan Island, Louisiana, February 10, 2001
On February 10, 2001 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Aero Vodochody L-39C, registered N901NL, was destroyed in an accident near Pecan Island, Louisiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance from terrain while performing low level aerobatics. A factor was fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 2001 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pecan Island, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Vodochody L-39C · all L-39Cs on the register
- Registration
- N901NL · no longer on the register · serial 031804
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The tandem seat experimental jet aircraft impacted terrain while performing low level aerobatics. Witnesses observed the airplane flying inverted over the pilot's hunting camp just prior to ground impact. No anomalies were found with the airframe or engine during examination of the wreckage. Partial disassembly of the engine revealed that it was operating at the time of the accident. According to radar records and a statement provided by an FAA inspector, the pilot had flown "vigorous" aerobatic flight sequences in a different airplane several hours prior to the accident flight. The two types of aircraft flown on the day of the accident had dissimilar flight envelopes, configurations, sight pictures, and relative speeds. An FAA inspector, who had given the pilot aerobatic instruction in the past, stated that the pilot could have been impaired during the accident flight due to "acute fatigue" from the aerobatic flights he flew earlier on the day of the accident.
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
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,038 hours in all; 316 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: September 2, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 899 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 29, 2000; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,848 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ivchenko AI-25TL (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LFT Lafayette LA at 5:37 pm
- Destination: LFT LA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 15 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from LFT
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.
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.