# Accident 19981029034549A: Withun Curtis B T-BIRD II, Macomb, IL, October 29, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: October 29, 1998, 14:09 local time - Place: Macomb, IL - Damage: Destroyed - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 42.7303° N, 82.7898° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.7303&lon=-82.7898&mi=10 - Aircraft: N72145, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N72145-2000-03-14) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Withun Curtis B T-BIRD II (registry code 05604QA, https://openairdocs.org/model/withun-curtis-b-t-bird-ii) (OpenAirDocs) - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 1 - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI99LA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA013) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981029034549A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ACFT WAS PERFORMING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS WHEN IT TOOK OFF, VEERED LEFT, DROPPED BEHIND SOME TREES, AND CRASHED. THE PILOT/SOLE OCCUPANT SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES. THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED. OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (-23) ON OCTOBER 29, 1998, INSPECTOR SERGE COTE AND MYSELF WERE ASSIGNED TO INVESTIGATE AN ACCIDENT THAT OCCURRED NEAR MACOMB AIRPORT ON PILOT ROAD, NORTH OF 27 MILE ROAD. WE ARRIVED ON THE SCENE APPROXIMATELY 1730 EASTERN STANDARD TIME. WE PROCEEDED TO THE AIRCRAFT AND BEGAN TO PHOTOGRAPH AND TAKE NOTES OF THE CONDITION OF THE AIRFRAME, AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENT READINGS, CONTENTS OF THE COCKPIT, SWITCH POSITIONS, AND CONDITION OF THE AREA. ON FURTHER INVESTIGATING THE COCKPIT I NOTICED THAT THE FUEL PRIMER BUTTON WAS PUSHED IN FULLY, THREE TOGGLE SWITCHES (ONE WAS MARKED POWER) WRE IN THE OFF POOSITION, AND THE AIRSPEED INDICATOR WAS INDICATING 75 TO 80 MPH ON IMPACT. ALSO, A HAND HELD RADIO WAS ON AND SET AT A FREQUENCY OF 122.7, AND THE ALTIMERTER WAS READING 29.45 AT 7800 FEET ON IMPACT. INSPECTOR COTE NOTICED THAT THE RPM GAUGE, WHICH WAS OUTSIDE AND NEXT TO THE AIRCRAFT, WAS INDICATING JUST ABOVE ZERO (0) RPM ON IMPACT. HE ALSO NOTICE A PLASTIC SODA BOTTL E IN THE COCKPIT WITH THE CAP ON IT. THE CAP HAD A HOLE DRILLED ON THE TOP. THE ONLY CONTINUITY OF FLIGHT CONTROLS WE WERE ABLE TO DETERMINE WAS GOOD WERE THE ELEVATORS. ALL OTHER FLIGHT CONTROLS WERE DAMAGED. WE ALSO NOTICED THAT ONE BLADE OF THE PROPELLER WAS BROKEN OFF N A 90 DEGREE ANGLE TO THE LEADING EDGE OF THE PROPELLER. WE FOUND THE BROKEN PIECE OF THE PROPELLER LAYING APPROXIMATELY 30-40 FEET FROM THE ACCIDENT. THE BROKEN PROPELLER BLADE SHOWED SIGNS THAT IT WAS STRUCK BY A TREE BRANCH. THE STRIKE WAS IN A 90 DEGREE ANGLE TO THE LEADING EDGE OF THE BLADE. THE REMAINING BLADE ON THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN A REVERSE PITCH POSITION AND HAD TWO SMALL DENTS ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE BLADE, EIGHT INCHES FROM THE TIP. THE PITCH OF THE PROPELLER BLADES CAN ONLY BE CHANGED MECHANICALLY ON THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT FUEL TANK WAS PLACARDED WITH A PERMANENT MARKER. FROM THIS MARKER THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY FOUR (4) GALLONS OF FUEL LEFT. THE FUEL TANK CAPACITY, ACCORDING TO THE MARKINGS, WAS APPROXIMATELY THIRTEEN (13) GALLONS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS MOVED BY BALLORS TOWING INC. TO BALLORS GARAGE. IN THE GARAGE, WE CONTINUED THE INVESTIGATION. INSPECTOR COTE AND MYSELF NOTICED THAT ONE OF THE CARBURETORS ON THE ENGINE WAS STUCK IN THE FULL THROTTLE POSITION. THIS AIRCRAFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH TWO CARBURETORS. THE OTHER CARBURETOR WAS IN THE NORMAL, ENGINE IDLE, POSITION. BOTH CARBURETORS SHOWED NO SIGNS OF IMPACT DAMAGE. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CHI99LA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA013), Oct 29, 1998: C.B. Withun T-BIRD II (N72145), New Haven, MI, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the improper installation of the propeller by the owner/pilot- mechanic and the pilot not maintaining the airplane's airspeed while approaching the trees along the airplane's flight path. A factor in… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.