NYC84FIG04

NTSB accident investigation · Jett Shoestring · Gaithersburg, MD · September 10, 1984

Accident · FatalFinal report

Date: September 10, 1984, 12:15 local (16:15 UTC)
Place: Gaithersburg, MD
Injuries: 1 fatal
Damage: Destroyed
Phase of flight: Initial climb
Aircraft: N53JJett Shoestring
Weather: Visual (VMC) · Day
Status: Completed
Report: Approved by Office Director
Case key: 35408

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.

Loss of engine powerTakeoff - initial climb

Reason for occurrence undeterminedCause

Forced landingDescent - emergency

Loss of control - in flightDescent - emergency

Airspeed(vs) - not maintainedPilot in commandCause

Stall - inadvertentPilot in command

In flight collision with terrain/waterDescent - uncontrolled

Terrain condition - ground

Analysis

According to witnesses, the acft experienced an engine power loss during the initial climb after takeoff. The acft was observed to descend near vertically to ground impact. Teardown of the engine revealed discrepancies in the carburetor assembly. The plt had complained of carburetor float problems prior to the flt. The exact cause of the power loss was not determined.

Aircraft

Registration: N53J
Reported as: Jett Shoestring
Category: Airplane, amateur-built
Serial number: 36
Engine: Continental C-90-8F, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage: Destroyed
Flight: Personal · Part 91
Operator: Hubert F. Jett
Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special)
Last inspection: Annual · August 6, 1982 · 0 hours before
Departed: GIA · Gaithersburg, MD

N53JRegistration cancelled Nov 29, 1984 · Jett SHOESTRINGS/N 36 Airframe modelJett SHOESTRING

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: 53
Certificate: Commercial
Airplane ratings: Single-engine land
Medical: Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat: Center
Toxicology: Performed
Flight hours: 365 total · 109 in this make and model

Weather

Conditions: Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind: 320° at 8 knots
Visibility: 20 statute miles
Lowest ceiling: 15,000 ft broken
Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 55 °F
Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Observed at: IAD, 20 nm away