Christen Industries Eagle II accident near Alexander City, Alabama, April 20, 2001
On April 20, 2001 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Christen Industries Eagle II, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N181DM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alexander City, Alabama. 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
A total loss of engine power during cruise flight due to an internal disconnection in the fuel injector control assembly as a result of a failure of the maintenance facility to follow proper installation procedures, resulting in a forced landing and collision with trees and the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 2001 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Alexander City, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Christen Industries Eagle II, amateur-built
- Registration
- N181DM · registry record · serial M001
- 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, at about 4,500 feet msl, the engine quit without warning. His emergency landing field choices were, trees, a river, or previously forested clearcut fields. He chose a small clearing surrounded by trees and he sustained a hard touchdown and noseover. FAA inspector statements revealed that fuel exhaustion, weather, or pilot human factors were not at issue. Teardown inspection of the modified fuel injection servo by NTSB and repair station personnel revealed internal separation of parts within the servo's regulator assembly which effectively shut down the fuel flow to the engine.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,500 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 95 in the last 30 days; 7,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 12, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,003 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 7, 2001; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 47A Ball Ground GA at 5:10 pm
- Destination: MXE Maxwell Field AL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MGM, 46 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N181DM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.