- FAST FACTS:
- Louis "Butch" Bassie, 52, of Byhalia died in small plane crash
- Ultralight plane crashed in Desoto County after nose-dive
- Bassie described as good pilot
(Desoto County, MS 10/2/09) Friends watched in horror as an aircraft spiraled out of control over a Desoto County soybean field and killed the pilot instantly.
By all accounts, 52 year-old Louis Bassie of Byhalia was a good pilot and this was just a horrible accident. The small single-engine plane went down near the intersection of Stateline and Center Hill Roads.
Marvin Shackelford enjoyed flying with him before and says, "yeah, he was real good pilot, he never made a bad landing. I'm not sure what it was."
Bassie's single-engine true Ultralight aircraft went down in a soybean field not far from a private landing strip. He was part of a group of small-aircraft pilots who often land there and share their hobby. Just before four o'clock, he was coming in for a landing. A friend watched as Bassie's plane took a nose-dive, spiraled out-of-control and crashed.
It's possible strong winds were a factor. The plane only weighs 250 pounds and pilots say there's no telling what a strong gust could have done.
"What he was flying was safe," says Shackelford. "It's not the airplane's fault for sure."
Operators of these home-built kit planes do not need a license to fly, but Bassie had one, worked as a crop-duster, and had served in the military. This was a new plane for Bassie, he had just got it over the winter. Friends say his family is distraught.. but they say he knew the risks.
"It's risky people get killed going across the street," says Shackelford.
The FAA has been notified, but because the plane was not licensed, Federal authorities will not investigate this crash. It's up to Desoto County authorities to determine exactly what happened.
