Sturges SPEZIO SPORT N75JS

Summary

On 24 October 1999 at about 22:52 local time, a Sturges SPEZIO SPORT registered N75JS was involved in an accident near Mathis, Texas, United States. 6 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 October 1999 at 22:52

Classification

Accident

Location

Mathis, Texas, United States

Coordinates

28.0902, -97.8194

Aircraft

Sturges SPEZIO SPORT

Registration

N75JS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lagarto → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW00LA015

2 people died.

the pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the power lines while maneuvering.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to witnesses traveling on an interstate highway, the amateur-built experimental airplane was observed flying 'very low' toward the east before turning to the south over the interstate. The airplane was observed in a 'continuous descent' and the witnesses 'thought that the airplane was attempting to land on the south-bound lanes of [the interstate].' The airplane's landing gear impacted a set of power lines running perpendicular to the interstate, veering the plane to the left. Subsequently, the airplane impacted another set of power lines and was 'flung nose down onto the north-bound lanes of [the interstate].' The witnesses stated that the airplane and an automobile collided and then slid off the road to the east. The wood and composite airplane was fragmented in several sections as it came to rest atop and adjacent to the car. A post accident examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have prevented its normal operation prior to the accident. Impact damage to the airframe destroyed the fuel system, precluding its examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.