Amateur-built AIRCAM accident near Troy, Alabama, April 19, 2002
On April 19, 2002 at about 11:04 pm local time, a amateur-built AIRCAM, registered N912S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Troy, Alabama (Troy Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot-in-commands decision to fly at a low altitude and his improper visual lookout resulting in an in-flight collision static with wires.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 19, 2002 · about 11:04 pm local time
- Place
- Troy, Alabama · Troy Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AIRCAM
- Registration
- N912S · registry record · serial 013
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane had been flying around the area low level for about 30 minutes, when it struck power lines, about 70 feet above a lake, then fell into the water. The crash site was located about 2 to 3 miles southeast of the airport. The airplane was only partly submerged with the nose on the bottom of the lake. A witness jumped into the lake and rescued the pilot from the submerged wreckage. There were no reports of any mechanical problems before the airplane struck the power lines. There were no reported obstructions due to weather, and the reported visibility about the time of the accident was 10 statute miles.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 3,850 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 30, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 207 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, December 10, 2001; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,680 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 9125 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TOI Troy AL at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 11,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from TOI, 3 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.
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.