Event CEN12LA012

Factual narrative

On October 8, 2011, about 1810 central daylight time, a Taylorcraft BL-65 airplane, N27492, impacted terrain following a loss of engine power after takeoff from a private airstrip near Easton, Missouri. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not operated on a flight plan. The ferry flight was originating at the time of the accident. The intended destination was Rosecrans Memorial Airport (STJ), St. Joseph, Missouri. The pilot stated that he was planning to ferry the airplane to STJ in order to complete the annual inspection. He noted that the airplane had been inactive for some time. The inspection had been partially completed in June; however, potential flooding at that airport prompted him to use his private airstrip for safe storage. He commented that the airplane fuel system had been serviced. The annual inspection was incomplete and, therefore, not signed off at that time. The pilot reported that all preflight checks including the engine run-up were normal. He stated that he departed his private north-south oriented turf runway to the south, and initiated a right turn when the engine began to lose power. He elected to return for landing and continued the right turn to a north heading. As he initiated a turn from downwind to base leg in the traffic pattern, the engine lost power completely. He prepared for a forced landing to a soybean field; however, the airplane inadvertently stalled about 20 feet above ground level. The right wing and nose dropped, and the airplane impacted the field. The airplane came to rest approximately 700 feet north of the runway. Postaccident examination revealed sufficient debris in the fuel system to restrict fuel flow to the carburetor. Specifically, when the fuel line into the carburetor was disconnected, fuel did not flow through the line. Debris was present in the carburetor bowl. In addition, debris was observed in the individual gas containers used to fuel the airplane. The pilot reported that he used automotive gasoline and fueled the airplane from individual cans stored on site. Airplane maintenance records indicated that the most recent annual inspection was completed in June 2005. Regulations require an inspection to be completed within the preceding 12 calendar months. The pilot stated that he was uninformed of the proper procedure to obtain a ferry permit from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA inspector assigned to the accident reported that a ferry permit had not been issued for the accident flight. According to the pilot's logbook, his most recent flight review was completed in June 2006. Regulations require that a flight review be completed within the preceding 24 calendar months in order to act as pilot-in-command. The engine began to lose power during the initial climb after takeoff. The pilot elected to remain in the traffic pattern and return for landing; however, the engine subsequently lost power completely. The pilot prepared for a forced landing, but the airplane stalled about 20 feet above the ground and impacted a field. A postaccident examination revealed sufficient debris in the fuel system to restrict fuel flow to the carburetor. In addition, debris was observed in the individual gas containers used to fuel the airplane. The pilot reported that he used automotive gasoline and fueled the airplane from individual cans stored on site. Airplane maintenance records indicated that the most recent annual inspection was completed in June 2005. Regulations require an inspection to be completed within the preceding 12 calendar months. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Fuel system-Fuel distribution-Damaged/degraded - C
• C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid condition - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• — Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Scheduled/routine inspection-Owner/builder
• — Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Training-Recurrent instruct/training-Pilot