Frey FLY BABY N59357
31 May 2009 · Keller, Texas, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 31 May 2009 at about 22:52 local time, a Frey FLY BABY registered N59357, operated by Frey Francis W JR, was involved in an accident near Keller, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:52
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Keller, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Stage Coach Hills
- Coordinates
- 33.0431, -97.2261
- Aircraft
- Frey FLY BABY
- Registration
- N59357
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Frey Francis W JR
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Keller → Keller
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN09LA330
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
A partial loss of engine power due to an obstruction of the air intake, as reported by the pilot. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's insufficient preflight inspection.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The private pilot conducted a run-up of the experimental airplane's 65-horsepower engine prior to departure, since it had not been flown in the past 90 days. The engine produced full power and the pilot departed the private airstrip. Shortly after takeoff, the engine started to gradually lose power and the airplane was unable to maintain a normal climb rate. The pilot returned to the airport, but had to execute a go-around due to another airplane being on the runway. When he applied full power, black smoke was observed "belching" from the exhaust and the engine power continued to decline. The pilot made a forced landing to a field adjacent to the airstrip and subsequently the airplane sustained structural damage. The pilot reported that there was no air filter installed on the engine and he thought that a nest of mud-dauber wasps had built a nest in the air intake, vibrated loose, and was ingested into the carburetor intake.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Apr 2009 | American Legend AL-3C | McKinney, Texas, United States | McRight-Smith Aviation, LP | No injuries | - |
| 2 Oct 2009 | Beechcraft A36 | Refugio, Texas, United States | Aero Mark JM LLC | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 2009 | Beechcraft E18S | Jones Creek, Texas, United States | Brazoria County | No injuries | - |
| 25 Feb 2009 | Robinson R22 BETA | O'Donnell, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Jun 2009 | Meyers OTW | Haskell, Texas, United States | Ashbach Richard P | No injuries | - |
| 11 Dec 2009 | Piper PA-30 | Port Mansfield, Texas, United States | Harvey W. Kiniken, Jr | Fatal | 2 |