Aero Commander CALLAIR A-9 accident near Ocean Springs, Mississippi, June 1, 1998
On June 1, 1998, a Aero Commander CALLAIR A-9, registered N7736V, was destroyed in an accident near Ocean Springs, Mississippi (Ocean Springs airport). 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
an in-flight collision with a nylon rope (wire), resulting in a loss of engine power, an inadvertent stall, and subsequent impact with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 1, 1998
- Place
- Ocean Springs, Mississippi · Ocean Springs · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander CALLAIR A-9 CALLAIR A- · all CALLAIR A-9s on the register
- Registration
- N7736V · no longer on the register · serial 1489
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to witnesses, the flight had been conducted for the pilot to practice banner towing pickup. Poles about 20 feet in height, with a yellow nylon rope were stretched perpendicular to the airplane's flight path. The flight was seen making a pass over the pickup point and then return. The flight approached the pickup point from the north to the south and parallel to runway 17. The airplane was seen approaching the pickup site at an altitude of about 50 feet above the ground. About 100 feet north of the rope the airplane descended to an altitude of about 20 feet above the ground, and was seen striking the rope with the propeller. The rope wrapped around the propeller, shedding pieces of rope. Witnesses described the sound the rope made as being similar to 'a large weed whacker.' The airplane continued in a southerly direction and climbed to about 100 to 150 feet above the ground. The witnesses saw the airplane turn left (east), and then turn 'sharply' to the north. The airplane was last seen descending right wing and nose low into the tress. Several witnesses said that after the airplane struck the rope the engine rpm decreased, but the engine continued to run. Seventeen feet of yellow nylon rope was found wrapped around the propeller and engine flange.
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, commercial pilot, flight engineer, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,475 hours in all; 25 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,680 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5R2
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,485 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 81°F (27°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.