Taylorcraft F-19 N3691T

Summary

On 1 May 2005 at about 01:15 local time, a Taylorcraft F-19 registered N3691T was involved in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 May 2005 at 01:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Chena Marina (AK28)

Coordinates

64.8139, -147.9186

Aircraft

Taylorcraft F-19

Registration

N3691T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fairbanks → Bettles

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC05FA070

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain a minimum airspeed during a low-altitude turn to return to the airport, and his improper in-flight decision to initiate a steep, low altitude turn, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin, and an in-flight collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the 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

The commercial pilot and sole passenger were departing a private airpark on a 14 CFR Part 91 personal cross-country flight when the engine lost power. Witnesses and the passenger, a private pilot, said the airplane was between 300-500 feet above the ground at the time of the power loss, when the pilot made a steep, abrupt, 180 degree turn to return to the airport. The airplane immediately entered a stall/spin, and the pilot, who had prior aerobatic training, made a partial recovery, stopping the spin rotation, and returning the airplane to a nearly level attitude before impact. The airplane crashed in a marshy area, in a level attitude, with a high vertical velocity. The area north of the airpark was essentially flat, mostly unoccupied, with minimal obstructions. There were several areas suitable for a low altitude emergency landing ahead of, and in close proximity to, the accident airplane's original departure flight path. According to the passenger (the airplane's co-owner and pilot's wife), the airplane had a history of unexplained power losses on takeoff, and the pilot had successfully returned to the departure runway at various sites on at least two, possibly three, prior occasions. On one power loss at a different airport, the passenger was flying, and the accident pilot took the controls and made a steep turn back to the airport. Once on the ground, the engine appeared to run normally. The passenger indicated that on the accident flight, like previous flights, the loss of engine power was abrupt, "like pulling the engine to idle" but the engine did not stop completely. A review of the airplane's maintenance records disclosed that in response to the power losses, an engine magneto and a cylinder had been replaced/repaired, and the carburetor adjusted and flow tested. The airplane had accrued 2.3 hours since its last annual inspection. Postaccident inspection of the engine and related systems, including a flow test of the carburetor and complete disassembly of the engine, disclosed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical problem.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.