NTSB CAROL · Event
Event BFO93FA018
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
AN INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT BY THE PILOT, WHICH ALLOWED WATER CONTAMINATION IN THE FUEL AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER; AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL.
Factual narrative
THIS WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE DAY, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS LAST REFUELED AT MINUTE MAN AIRPORT IN NOVEMBER. ACCORDING TO AIRCRAFT RECORDS, THE AIRPLANE WAS INACTIVE FOR TWO MONTHS. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE PREFLIGHT; HOWEVER, THE AIRCRAFT WAS VIEWED BY TWO OTHER PILOTS TO DEPART FROM RUNWAY 3. AT ABOUT 100 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, THE ENGINE SOUNDS WERE INTERMITTENT. THE WITNESSES REPORTED THAT DURING THE CLIMB, BLACK SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE AIRCRAFT EXHAUST. A SECOND WITNESS, WHO SAW THE CRASH, STATED THAT THE PILOT TRIED TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, BUT THE AIRPLANE FELL TO THE GROUND IN A NEAR VERTICAL POSITION. INSPECTION OF THE FUEL SYSTEM REVEALED ABOUT ONE QUARTER OF THE FUEL CONTENTS OF THE FUEL CONTROL VALVE WAS WATER. BOTH FUEL CAPS WERE SECURED TO THEIR RESPECTIVE TANKS, AND WHEN SPRAYED WITH WATER, NO LEAKAGE PAST THE CAPS INTO THE TANKS WAS NOTED. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1993_BFO93FA018.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
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