Miller SLINGSHOT accident near Kingwood, West Virginia, December 3, 2000
On December 3, 2000 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Miller SLINGSHOT, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N97MS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kingwood, West Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane, and subsequent collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 2000 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kingwood, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Miller SLINGSHOT, amateur-built
- Registration
- N97MS · registry record · serial 4401700
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed the airport for a local flight and when he failed to return, a search was initiated for the airplane. The airplane was found 2 days later in a heavily wooded area 7 miles south of the airport. Examination of the airplane and an engine test run failed to revealed any mechanical deficiencies. Information downloaded from the pilot's GPS revealed the airplane departed the airport and flew southwest in a relatively straight line to the accident site. The last eight 'track points' indicated that the airplane initiated a gradual left turn from a heading of 272 degrees to 111 degrees. During the turn, the airplane's altitude decreased from 626 to 383 feet, and the airspeed decreased from 86 mph to 52.2 mph. Examination of the airplane's logbook revealed that it had accumulated 40 hours of flight time since it was certificated for flight on January 30, 1998. Examination of the pilot's logbook revealed about 125 hours of flight experience in the accident airplane, from February 15, 1998 to December 30, 1998.
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: 970 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 540 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 28, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 15, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 850 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WV29 Valley Point WV at 7:00 pm
- Destination: WV29
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.48 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MGW, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N97MS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC01LA050.