MOBILE, AL, USA
N96802
TAYLORCRAFT BC12-D
WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD TAXIED ON THE RUNWAY, AT HIGH SPEED, SEVERAL TIMES. A TAKEOFF WAS THEN MADE, AND WHEN THE AIRCRAFT HAD CLIMBED TO ABOUT 200 FEET, ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, THE ENGINE SPUTTERED. THE AIRCRAFT THEN TURNED BACK TOWARD THE RUNWAY, ENTERED A NOSE DIVE, AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN IN A VERTICAL NOSE DOWN POSITION. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PILOT, WHO WAS NOT A LICENSED MECHANIC, HAD RECENTLY REPLACED THE CARBURETOR. THE FUEL ON BOARD THE AIRCRAFT WAS AN AUTOMOTIVE TYPE FUEL, AND NO EVIDENCE OF A SUPPLEMENTAL TYPE CERTIFICATE FOR THE USE OF AUTOMOTIVE FUEL COULD BE FOUND. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF ROTATIONAL DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLER, AND THE THROTTLE WAS FOUND IN THE IDLE POSITION.
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED AND HIS SUBSEQUENT INADVERTENT STALL DURING HIS ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO THE DEPARTURE RUNWAY. A FACTOR WAS THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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