Taylorcraft DCO-65 N48634

Summary

On 10 January 2000 at about 22:00 local time, a Taylorcraft DCO-65 registered N48634 was involved in an accident near Sherman, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 January 2000 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Sherman, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Flying M (NONE)

Coordinates

33.6091, -96.5993

Aircraft

Taylorcraft DCO-65

Registration

N48634

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW00LA061

Nobody was injured.

A jammed carburetor needle which resulted in fuel starvation and the subsequent hard forced landing after takeoff. Contributing factors were the fence, trees, and pilot's maneuver to avoid these objects.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he departed the private grass airstrip to the south and was turning left crosswind, climbing through 150 feet agl, when the engine lost total power. He attempted to restart the engine, but was not successful. He initiated a forced landing, during which the airplane landed 'hard' as he was maneuvering to avoid a fence and trees. Upon touchdown, the gear collapsed and the airplane slid approximately 100 feet, coming to a stop upright. The pilot disassembled the Stromberg NAS-3A carburetor and observed that the 'needle was stuck in the closed position.' The float and needle were removed and he observed 'scoring wear inside of the needle guide.' He added that 'it took considerable force to free [the needle].'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.