Amateur-built WITTMAN TAILWIND accident near Dover, Tennessee, April 19, 1999
On April 19, 1999 at about 3:30 pm local time, a amateur-built WITTMAN TAILWIND, registered N1194K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dover, Tennessee. It was a personal flight 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
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 19, 1999 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dover, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built WITTMAN TAILWIND WITTMAN TA
- Registration
- N1194K · no longer on the register · serial 1051
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses saw the homebuilt airplane takeoff and attain an altitude of about 200 feet agl, appear to lose power, and attempt a descending left turn toward the runway. The witnesses heard the engine 'popping', before the airplane crashed into a pasture short of the runway. Postcrash inspection of the wreckage by FAA inspectors revealed the presence of uncontaminated automotive fuel, control path continuity in all three axis, and no airframe abnormalities. Subsequent removal and functional test of the automotive engine revealed no abnormalities.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 55 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 55 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 18, 1998; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru 2.2L EFI CDI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 13,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from HOP, 22 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.
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.