- Date
- March 31, 2002, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Buhl, ID
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1432Stadden Flybaby
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 8, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20020331005329A
- Case key
- 54444
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 return the carburetor heat to the OFF (cold) position prior to applying full power following a touch and go landing, which resulted in poor climb performance and the subsequent impact with a fence and collision with the ground. A contributing factor was the fence.
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 reported that he had been doing touch and go landings at the airport and that on the accident circuit he had applied carburetor heat on the downwind. After executing a normal landing, he applied full power to transition to takeoff on runway 09 however, the aircraft's 75 horsepower Continental engine did not respond to the performance level the pilot was accustomed to. The pilot was able to get the aircraft airborne, but the climb performance was inadequate and the aircraft began to veer right towards several hangars. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft clipped a fence on the south side of the airport, impacted the ground upright and then nosed over. The pilot reported to the investigator that he forgot to turn off the carburetor heat during the landing roll and before the application of power, and that the carburetor heat had been left on throughout the duration of the takeoff attempt and ground impact.
Factual narrative
On March 31, 2002, approximately 1000 mountain standard time, a homebuilt Stadden Flybaby, N1432, registered to and being flown by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when the aircraft collided with a fence during takeoff following a touch and go landing and then nosed over following ground impact at the Buhl Municipal airport (U03), Buhl, Idaho. The pilot suffered minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight, which was personal, was being operated under 14CFR91, and originated from Buhl approximately 0915.
The pilot reported that he had been doing touch and go landings at Buhl airport and that on the accident circuit he had applied carburetor heat on the downwind. After executing a normal landing, he applied full power to transition to takeoff on runway 09 however, the aircraft's 75 horsepower Continental engine did not respond to the performance level the pilot was accustomed to. The pilot was able to get the aircraft airborne, but the climb performance was inadequate and the aircraft began to veer right towards several hangars. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft clipped a fence on the south side of the airport, impacted the ground upright and then nosed over.
The pilot reported to the investigator that he forgot to turn off the carburetor heat during the landing roll and before the application of power, and that the carburetor heat had been left on throughout the duration of the takeoff attempt and ground impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1432
- Reported as
- Stadden Flybaby
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1
- Airframe hours
- 526
- Engine
- Continental A-75, 75 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Tadlock, Edward
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · March 27, 2002 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- U03 · Buhl, ID
- Destination
- U03
- Airport
- U03 · Buhl Municipal, runway 09, 3,900 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 61
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- December 21, 2000
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 588 total · 60 in this make and model · 588 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- TWF, 16 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 23, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 324 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N1432 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.