Smith Aerostar 601P N15BA

Summary

On 4 August 2005 at about 13:00 local time, a Smith Aerostar 601P registered N15BA, operated by James W. Kincaid, was involved in an accident near Sinton, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 August 2005 at 13:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Sinton, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

San Patricio County Airport (T69)

Coordinates

28.0431, -97.5483

Aircraft

Smith Aerostar 601P

Registration

N15BA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

James W. Kincaid

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sinton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW05CA201

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to abort the takeoff and the subsequent loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing factors were the attempted operation of the airplane with known deficiencies in the equipment and the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After takeoff for a maintenance check flight, both engines on the twin-engine airplane experienced a loss of engine power. The 7,200-hour pilot had recently purchased the airplane, which had not been flown for nearly four years. The pilot, who is also a certificated airframe and powerplant mechanic, completed the inspection of the airplane prior to takeoff. During the engine run-up, the pilot noticed that the RPM and manifold pressure on the left engine did not correspond with those of the right engine. During the takeoff roll, the pilot believed the RPM on both engines began to rise to near acceptable levels, but not entirely. However, he did not abort the takeoff. The airplane became airborne for a short time, and then began to descend into trees before impacting the ground. The reason for the reported loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.