Summary
On August 17, 2004, a Stephen T-Bird TBT06 (N655DM) was involved in an accident near Gobles, MI. The accident resulted in 2 serious injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot's inadvertent flight into adverse weather conditions which resulted in an encounter with a downdraft that exceeded the climb capabilities of the airplane. The downdraft and the trees were factors.
On August 17, 2004, about 1830 eastern daylight time, an amateur-built Stephen T-bird TBT06, N655DM, piloted by a non-certificated pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and the ground shortly after takeoff from a private airstrip near Gobles, Michigan. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The pilot and passenger received serious injuries. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.
In a telephone conversation, the pilot stated that he performed a pre-flight inspection and warm-up of the airplane prior to the flight. He said that he performed a full-throttle takeoff and cleared a grouping of 70 to 80 foot tall trees by approximately 50 feet.
This accident is documented in NTSB report CHI04LA231. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N655DM.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's inadvertent flight into adverse weather conditions which resulted in an encounter with a downdraft that exceeded the climb capabilities of the airplane. The downdraft and the trees were factors.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On August 17, 2004, about 1830 eastern daylight time, an amateur-built Stephen T-bird TBT06, N655DM, piloted by a non-certificated pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and the ground shortly after takeoff from a private airstrip near Gobles, Michigan. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The pilot and passenger received serious injuries. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.
In a telephone conversation, the pilot stated that he performed a pre-flight inspection and warm-up of the airplane prior to the flight. He said that he performed a full-throttle takeoff and cleared a grouping of 70 to 80 foot tall trees by approximately 50 feet. He stated that he was above the stall speed of the airplane the entire flight. He said that after clearing the trees the airplane started descending and would not climb. He said that the airplane continued to descend until impacting more trees even though the airplane was at full throttle. He stated that there were no mechanical difficulties with the airplane. He stated that the weather conditions where the accident occurred were light winds at about 4 knots. He stated that there were some black clouds associated with a thunderstorm to the north of this location.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI04LA231