T Bird Golden Circle Air II N5654N

Summary

On 14 April 2012 at about 20:50 local time, a T Bird Golden Circle Air II registered N5654N was involved in an accident near Clara City, Minnesota, 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.

Date

14 April 2012 at 20:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Clara City, Minnesota, United States

Coordinates

44.9505, -95.3602

Aircraft

T Bird Golden Circle Air II

Registration

N5654N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Clara City → Clara City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA244

1 person was seriously injured.

The airplane's loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-certificated pilot changed the airplane's fuel and then conducted several high-speed taxi runs to check engine operation in preparation for the airplane’s first flight after several months of inactivity. Shortly after the subsequent takeoff, the airplane's engine began to run rough and then lost power. The pilot elected to conduct a forced landing in a vacant field. A postaccident examination confirmed flight and engine control continuity and did not detect any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies. Although review of a carburetor icing probability chart indicated that the weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power, the investigation was unable to determine the cause of the loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.