- Date
- May 11, 1986, 16:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Independence, MO
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N24491Taylorcraft BL-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860511017029A
- Case key
- 34067
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 pilot stated that they took off to the north with an intended southwest bound departure. After a left turn, while on the crosswind leg, and climbing through 800 feet, a blast of cold air and wind shear hit the aircraft, and the bottom fell out, according to the pilot. A witness observed that, on climbout, the aircraft was moving at a slow speed and a high nose angle. As the aircraft was banking in a left turn, it suddenly dropped straight down, according to the witness. National weather service records and reports from the national severe storms forecasting center, (nssfc), Kansas city, MO, indicate visual meteorological conditions prevailed from 1000 c.d.t. to 2300 c.d.t., with no record of wind shear, strong winds or a cold front reported in the area of Independence memorial airport, Missouri.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24491
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft BL-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1831
- Airframe hours
- 1,246
- Engine
- Continental O-170-3, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 103
- Registered owner
- Robert L. Hewitt
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 18, 1985 · 141 hours before
- Departed
- 31P · Independence, MO
- Destination
- 63K · Stilwell, KS
- Airport
- 31P · Independence Mem., runway 36, 2,570 × 50 ft
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
- 52
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,708 total · 55 in this make and model · 2,392 as pilot in command · 47 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MKC, 12 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.