Amateur-built TWINSTAR accident near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, November 16, 1986
On November 16, 1986 at about 6:30 pm local time, a amateur-built TWINSTAR, registered N9731N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 16, 1986 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bay St. Louis, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TWINSTAR
- Registration
- N9731N · no longer on the register · serial 4
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF ON THE INITIAL TEST FLT, SEVERE VIBRATION WAS FELT AND THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO RETURN THE FLOAT EQUIPPED ACFT TO THE WATER FOR A FORCED LDG. DUE TO LOW ALT, THE PLT HAD TO LAND IN TREES. AN EXAM OF ONE OF THE BLADES OF THE 3 BLADED COMPOSITE PROP REVEALED IT HAD SEPARATED CREATING A VIBRATION SO SEVERE THAT IT SHOOK BOTH CARBURETORS FROM THE ENGINE CAUSING THE ENG FAILURE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 1,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 600 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from GPT, 12 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.