Colquitt

The Sherpa departed Fort Rucker-Cairns AAF on a training flight, carrying three crew members who were supposed to test the aircraft in special configuration. Two hours and 45 minutes into the flight, while cruising at an altitude of 5,336 feet in good weather conditions, the aircraft became unstable and rolled to the right to an angle of 12° then to the left to an angle of 35°. It entered an uncontrolled descent before crashing in an open field located 4 miles north of Colquitt, bursting into flames. All three occupants were killed. It was determined that control was lost while the aircraft' speed was 89 knots. Originally, the crew was supposed to simulate an engine failure at the altitude of 10,000 feet but apparently encountered problems as the aircraft' speed was dropping by the order of one knot per second before it became unstable. At the time of the accident, the total weight of the aircraft and its CofG were within limits.