Clark T BIRD II N673KD

Summary

On 2 October 2001 at about 22:28 local time, a Clark T BIRD II registered N673KD was involved in an accident near Elberon, Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 October 2001 at 22:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Elberon, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Private (NONE)

Coordinates

37.0710, -76.8796

Aircraft

Clark T BIRD II

Registration

N673KD

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Elberon → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC02LA001

1 person was seriously injured.

A partial power loss for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The engine start, taxi, and run-up seemed normal. The pilot then tookoff on runway 09, a 1,800-foot long, 50-foot wide turf runway. About 50 feet above the ground, the engine lost partial power, and the pilot lowered the nose of the airplane. He then turned right to avoid tree stumps, and the airplane impacted in a soybean field, located off the right side of the runway. The pilot added that within the 60-day period prior to the accident, on two occasions, he had difficulty priming the engine. However, after each occurrence, the fittings and primer hose appeared normal. The airport manager examined the airplane after the accident. He observed that the primer hose, which connected the fuel primer to both carburetors, was loose. The manager could not be certain if it was loose before the impact, or if the impact loosened the hose. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the engine. He was able to rotate the propeller by hand, and attain thumb compression on both cylinders. The inspector observed fuel in the fuel bowl, it appeared similar to automotive gasoline, and was absent of contamination. Due to safety concerns, the inspector did not attempt to check the spark plugs.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.