Maule M-5-235C N555MR

Summary

On 22 June 2003 at about 23:58 local time, a Maule M-5-235C registered N555MR was involved in an accident near Rockvale, Tennessee, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 June 2003 at 23:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Rockvale, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Gibson Stolport (TN68)

Coordinates

35.7669, -86.5581

Aircraft

Maule M-5-235C

Registration

N555MR

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Shelbyville → Rockvale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL03FA111

3 people died.

Loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to a witness, the airplane experienced a gradual loss of engine power during a go-around. As the airplane was returning to land after the go-around, other witnesses reported hearing the engine "shut off and then start back up." The witnesses then observed the airplane collide with trees and terrain, and they saw black smoke rising from the wreckage. The airplane came to rest and burned on a westerly heading approximately 0.6 nautical miles from the airstrip. Examination of the accident site revealed that the propeller, engine, cockpit, cabin, empennage, horizontal stabilizers, elevators, rudder, and vertical stabilizer remained intact by their tubular steel frames. Examination of the engine revealed it was damaged on all sides. There was no fuel found in the engine, and the carburetor heat was in the off position. Nothing was found during the course of the investigation that would have precluded the engine from producing power. The reported temperature at an airport located about 30 miles to the north of the accident site was 81-degrees Fahrenheit and the dew point was 57 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the icing probability chart, the reported weather conditions were favorable for the formation of carburetor ice; however, the investigation could not determine whether carburetor icing was present in the engine at the time of the accident. (This report was modified on June 16, 2009)

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.