- Date
- January 29, 1990, 10:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- New Braunfels, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N60RTThompson Baker BOB-CAT
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900129001329A
- Case key
- 22993
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain flying speed during an emergency descent for a forced landing. A factor was the loss of engine power.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
According to the pilot, at 200 feet AGL after takeoff, the engine suddenly went from takeoff power, 6,500 RPM, to idle. During the emergency descent the pilot initiated a 15 degree left bank to steer toward a clearing. This resulted in an inadvertent stall at approximately 150 to 175 feet AGL. Ground impact occurred slightly nose low, wings level. The airplane collided with trees, a fence, and a ditch, before it came to rest. Engine disassembly failed to reveal a cause for the power loss.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N60RT
- Reported as
- Thompson Baker BOB-CAT (BAKER BOB-)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 382436
- Airframe hours
- 46
- Engine
- Rotax 377, 37 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ralph O. Thompson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 14, 1989 · 46 hours before
- Airport
- Hilltop Ranch
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 62
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 45 in this make and model · 1,500 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RND, 8 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.