Ryan ST3KR accident near Rossville, Tennessee, October 14, 1998
On October 14, 1998 at about 6:22 pm local time, a Ryan ST3KR, registered N59514, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rossville, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed (VSO) while maneuvering in a recovery from a spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 1998 · about 6:22 pm local time
- Place
- Rossville, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ryan ST3KR
- Registration
- N59514 · no longer on the register · serial 1991
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A Witness observed the airplane performing aerobatic flight. The airplane was observed to enter a spin and disappear below the tree line. Another witness observed the airplane start a steep climb estimated between 85 to 90 degrees nose up, as if the pilot was practicing a stall. The airplane was observed sliding backwards tail first. The nose pitched straight down, the airplane started spinning to the right before colliding with trees and terrain.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,630 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 14, 1998; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,885 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kinner R-540-3 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 54M at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 23 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 90°F (32°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from MEM
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.
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.