Amateur-built DEUCE accident near Prentiss, Mississippi, June 19, 1994
On June 19, 1994 at about 7:30 pm local time, a amateur-built DEUCE, registered N10RS, was destroyed in an accident near Prentiss, Mississippi. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE WHILE PERFORMING AN AEROBATIC MANEUVER AND RECOVERING FROM A SPIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES/DIRECTIVES, LACK OF FORMAL TRAINING IN AEROBATIC FLIGHT, AND OVERCONFIDENCE IN HIS ABILITY TO PERFORM AEROBATICS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 1994 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Prentiss, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DEUCE
- Registration
- N10RS · no longer on the register · serial 144
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED BY A FAMILY MEMBER AND OTHER WITNESSES IN AEROBATIC FLIGHT ABOUT 1/2 MILE FROM THE PILOT'S HOUSE. THE PLANE WAS SEEN TO PITCH UP AND ENTER A HAMMERHEAD STALL, FOLLOWED BY A WING-OVER AND SPIN TO THE RIGHT. AN INCREASE IN ENGINE POWER WAS HEARD AS THE AIRPLANE DISAPPEARED FROM VIEW BEHIND A HILL. THE PILOT'S SON STATED HIS FATHER HAD NOT RECEIVED FORMAL TRAINING IN AEROBATIC FLIGHT AND THAT HE WAS SELF-TAUGHT. AN EXAM OF THE AIRFRAME, FLIGHT CONTROLS, ENGINE ASSEMBLY AND ACCESSORIES REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PRE-CRASH MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT CERTIFIED FOR AEROBATIC FLIGHT.
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
- Flight time: 3,350 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 451 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 10, 1994; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,002 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HBG Hattiesburg MS at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from MCB, 25 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.