Amateur-built Leza-Lockwood Aircam accident near Ashland, Mississippi, September 18, 2004
On September 18, 2004 at about 6:45 pm local time, a amateur-built Leza-Lockwood Aircam, registered N9074W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ashland, Mississippi. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation for his failure to assure that the fuel shutoff valves located in both engine compartments were turned on and also the failure of the pilot to have a checklist to outline preflight items.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 2004 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ashland, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Leza-Lockwood Aircam
- Registration
- N9074W · no longer on the register · serial AC-094
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was equipped with manual fuel shutoff valves located in each engine compartment which can only be accessed while on the ground; the valves were installed following building of the airplane to prevent fuel migrating into the oil reservoir. Both valves were closed when the flight departed, and shortly after takeoff when the pilot turned off both auxiliary fuel pumps, both engines quit. While descending for a forced landing, the airplane collided with and remained suspended in a 100-foot tall tree. The pilot further stated there was no checklist for the airplane which would have prevented the accident, and there was no mechanical failure or malfunction.
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
- Flight time: 410 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ashland MS at 1:30 pm
- Destination: Ashland MS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N9074W 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.