Event ERA19LA138

Factual narrative

On March 26, 2019, about 1710 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Fisher Flying Products Dakota Hawk, N30271, impacted terrain during a forced landing shortly after takeoff from Little River Airport (FL10), McAlpin, Florida. The private pilot was uninjured, and the airplane was destroyed by a post-impact fire. The airplane was privately owned and operated as a personal flight under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. According to the pilot, he intended to fly in the airport traffic pattern to practice touch-and-go landings. He performed a preflight inspection, allowed the engine to idle for 5-7 minutes to warm up, and completed an engine run-up with no anomalies noted. He reported that the engine operated at low power for a total of 8-10 minutes prior to takeoff from the 2,668-ft-long by 50-ft-wide turf runway 27. He stated that the takeoff run was longer than usual, and that he passed his established abort point because he was preoccupied watching his airspeed. Upon reaching rotation speed, he determined that it was no longer safe to abort his takeoff and continued although the engine did not seem to be producing normal power. He barely cleared the trees at the end of the runway and shortly thereafter "the left wing dropped," and he lowered the nose to prevent the airplane from stalling. When he determined that he had insufficient altitude to recover, he landed straight ahead in a young pine tree plantation. He managed to safely egress before a post-impact fire destroyed the airplane. The airplane came to rest about 1,000 ft beyond the departure end of runway 27. Most of the airplane, except for a portion of the empennage and the engine, was destroyed by the post-impact fire. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. The pilot reported 87 total hours of flight experience of which 18 hours were in the accident airplane make and model. According to FAA airworthiness records, the airplane, serial number DH-26, was built in 2002. It was equipped with a Continental O-200-A engine, rated at 100 horsepower, that drove a ground adjustable variable-pitch propeller. According to maintenance records, the last condition inspection was performed on January 30, 2019, at a total time-in-service of 508.9 hours. The engine had accrued 4,502.1 total hours of operation; of which, 523.1 hours were since its last major overhaul. The wreckage was recovered from the accident site for detailed examination. Examination of the engine revealed that the carburetor was fractured off the engine. Examination of the cylinders with a lighted borescope revealed no damage to the cylinder walls or pistons. The cylinders were oil soaked; however, the engine was rotated several times for transportation. The propeller was rotated by hand and thumb compression was established on all cylinders. Continuity of the power and valvetrains was established throughout the engine. The rocker covers were removed, and the rocker arms, springs, and push rods all appeared to be normal. The right magneto was removed and its input shaft was rotated by hand; spark was observed emanating from all leads. The left magneto was removed and rotated by hand. No spark was present. Examination of the magneto revealed that the post-accident fire melted the internal components.The carburetor was intact and disassembled for examination. Although the carburetor was fire-damaged, all the components appeared intact and serviceable. The inlet screen clear of debris. The 1715 weather reported at Suwannee County Airport (24J), Live Oak, Florida, located 13 miles northwest of the accident site, included wind from 360° at 6 knots, visibility of 10 miles, few clouds at 8,000 ft, temperature 25° C, dew point 9° C, and an altimeter setting of 29.96 inches of mercury. The calculated relative humidity at this temperature and dewpoint was 36%. According to a Carburetor Icing-Probability Chart recommended by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were "conducive to moderate icing at cruise power and serious icing at descent power." FAA Advisory Circular 20-113 explains, "To prevent accidents due to induction system icing, the pilot should regularly use [carburetor] heat under conditions known to be conducive to atmospheric icing and be alert at all times for indications of icing in the fuel system." The pilot allowed the engine to idle for 8 to 10 minutes while he waited for it to warm up, then completed the engine runup and taxied the airplane for takeoff. He reported that the takeoff run was longer than usual, and because he was preoccupied watching the airspeed, he passed his previously established takeoff abort point. Upon reaching rotation speed, he determined that it was no longer safe to abort the takeoff and continued, although the engine did not seem to be producing normal power. Shortly after clearing trees at the end of the runway, "the left wing dropped," and he lowered the nose to prevent the airplane from stalling. When he determined that he had insufficient altitude to recover, he landed straight ahead in a young pine tree plantation. He managed to safely egress before a postimpact fire destroyed the airplane. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of serious carburetor icing at low engine power settings. It is likely that carburetor ice developed during the time the engine was operating at idle power before takeoff, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power during the takeoff and initial climb. 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 Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to carburetor icing-Effect on equipment - C
• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Lack of action-Pilot - C