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Atlas / NTSB / FTW86FA079

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event FTW86FA079

1986-05-08 BOSSIER CITY, Louisiana, United States Fatal 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N49DD

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

VAN'S AIRCRAFT RV-12

Year of manufacture

2013

Engine

ROTAX 912ULS SERIES (100 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20130613

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A60E0E

Registrant of record

ROSE KAGEN N

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE PILOT REPORTEDLY DID AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF ENGINE RUN-UP BEFORE PULLING ONTO THE RUNWAY. HE THEN PERFORMED ANOTHER RUN-UP BEFORE DEPARTING. THIS IS EVIDENCE THAT HE WAS AWARE OF A PROBLEM WITH HIS AIRCRAFT. THE ENGINE(S) WERE POPPING AND PUFFING BLACK SMOKE DURING THE GROUND RUN. YET, THE TAKEOFF WAS CONTINUED. THE POPPING AND SMOKE PUFFING CONTINUED AFTER LIFTOFF. A NOTICEABLE LOSS OF AIRSPEED OCCURRED DURING THE CLIMBOUT. THE AIRCRAFT STARTED THE THIRD ROLL (INTO THE BAD ENGINE) BEFORE FINALLY GOING INVERTED. THE AIRCRAFT'S ALLOWABLE GROSS WEIGHT WAS EXCEEDED BY AT LEAST 205 POUNDS AT TAKEOFF, HOWEVER, THE CENTER OF GRAVITY REMAINED WITHIN IT'S SPECIFIED LIMITS. INTERNAL EXAMINATION OF THE RIGHT ENGINE EXHIBITED EVIDENCE THAT IT HAD OPERATED AT SOMETIME ON A MIXTURE OF GASOLINE AND JET FUEL. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1986_FTW86FA079.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.