Amateur-built RANS S-10 SAKOTA accident near Pisgah, Mississippi, November 1, 1998
On November 1, 1998 at about 10:00 pm local time, a amateur-built RANS S-10 SAKOTA, registered N383FF, was destroyed in an accident near Pisgah, Mississippi (Pisgah, Ms. 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
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during a low altitude maneuver resulting in the aircraft's uncontrollable descent until impact with the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 1, 1998 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pisgah, Mississippi · Pisgah, Ms. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RANS S-10 SAKOTA RANS S-10
- Registration
- N383FF · no longer on the register · serial 0594173
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was observed flying down the centerline of the runway between 150 to 200 feet agl, and commence an abrupt steep bank to the left. Once into the 45 to 50 degree bank, the nose dropped, and the ballistic recovery parachute was seen to partially deploy. The airplane continued in the descending spiral until impact with the ground. No evidence of precrash malfunctions of flight controls were found.
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: 102 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 67 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 65 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 29, 1998; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 960 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 UL DCDI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 am from JAN, 13 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.