Flightstar 2SL accident near Kiln, Mississippi, August 29, 1996
On August 29, 1996 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Flightstar 2SL, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kiln, Mississippi (Stennis International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering after takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 1996 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Kiln, Mississippi · Stennis International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flightstar 2SL, amateur-built
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 120
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness observed the aircraft take off from runway 18. According to the witness, after the aircraft reached an altitude of about 50 feet, it entered a steep right climbing turn, estimated at about 45-degree angle of bank. Reportedly, the airplane stalled, and collided with the ground in a nose down, right wing low attitude. According to the pilot, he saw another aircraft headed toward him, made a 90-degree right turn with full flaps, encountered turbulence and a downdraft, and collided with the ground. Review of surface weather information for the time period of the accident, revealed no record of turbulence, downdrafts, gusts, or windshear.
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: 200 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 16, 1996; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3R6 at 3:14 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 8,499 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:47 pm from GPT, 70 miles away
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 UNREG 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.