- Date
- February 29, 1992, 15:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mineral Wells, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N621XAvions Fairey T-66
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920229007939A
- Case key
- 18448
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
Fuel starvation due to a contaminated fuel filter. A factor was the soft terrain.
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
The airplane was on its first flight after being stored for several years. While proceeding toward the airport after a local area flight, a total loss of engine power occurred. The airplane was forced to land at a practice football field approximately three miles from the airport. During the landing roll on soft ground the landing gear dug in, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over onto its back. Examination of the engine's fuel system revealed a blocked fuel filter. The material in the fuel filter was determined to be organic. The new airplane owner reported that an unknown preservative had been used in the airplane during the storage period.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N621X
- Reported as
- Avions Fairey T-66
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 46
- Airframe hours
- 289
- Engine
- Stark Stamo 1400A, 45 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kessler, David K.
- Registered owner
- Kessler, David K.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000 · 16 hours before
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,700 total · 1 in this make and model · 1,500 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MWL, 3 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.