Hall Maxair Drifter accident near Gloucester, Virginia, June 12, 2005
On June 12, 2005 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Hall Maxair Drifter, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N9238V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gloucester, Virginia. 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 in-flight separation of the empennage, which resulted in a loss of control 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 12, 2005 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Gloucester, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hall Maxair Drifter, amateur-built
- Registration
- N9238V · no longer on the register · serial DR3600
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to witnesses, the pilot left a picnic he was attending because he "needed to take pictures." The pilot stated he was "going to get his airplane" and shortly after the witnesses saw the airplane pass overhead at an altitude of about 200 feet. The airplane made several passes, "buzzing" the crowd, and then witnesses observed the tail section of the airplane "wobble, and then break off." The airplane then pitched nose down and impacted the ground. Examination of the airplane revealed that the empennage was separated from the fuselage at the tail boom attachment point. Corrosion was observed on the tail boom attachment points, as well as numerous other critical areas of the aircraft.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 590 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Gloucester VA at 11:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 11:21 pm from FYJ, 10 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.