NTSB CAROL · Event
Event FTW91FA025
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE COLLAPSED CARBURETOR FLOAT AND RESTRICTED MOVEMENT OF THE FUEL METERING NEEDLE. FACTORS WERE THE DARKNIGHT, THE UNSUITABLE TERRAIN, AND THE OPERATOR'S MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL FAILURE TO INSPECT (REPAIR) THE ENGINE.
Factual narrative
THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED A PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER (MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION) DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB OUT FROM THE AIRPORT AT NIGHT. WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING THE ENGINE SURGING AS IT PASSED OVER OR NEAR THEIR LOCATIONS. THE AIRPLANE WAS FLYING OVER UNSUITABLE TERRAIN TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST OF THE AIRPORT WHEN THE PILOT WAS FORCED TO LAND. IT COLLIDED WITH SEVERAL TREES AS IT DESCENDED THEN IMPACTED THE TERRAIN. EXAMINATION OF THE CARBURETOR REVEALED THAT ONE SIDE OF THE FLOATS WAS COLLASPED AND THE 'U' ARM WAS DISTORTED WHICH INTERMITTENTLY RESTRICTED THE MOVEMENT OF THE FUEL METERING NEEDLE. THE PILOT WHO RENTED THIS AIRPLANE JUST PRIOR TO THIS PILOT REPORTED A ROUGH RUNNING ENGINE ON TAKEOFF. THE OPERATOR WAS NOTIFIED. NO RECORD OF ANY CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE ACTION COULD BE LOCATED WHERE THE AIRLANE WAS TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1990_FTW91FA025.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 (maintenance). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2026 · Journal article (IJAAA)
From Reactive to Predictive: A hybrid Trust-Mediated Adoption Framework for Data-Driven Maintenance in Distributed-Authority Aviation Environments
Modern aviation maintenance operates within increasingly data-intensive technological environments, yet the operational integration of predictive maintenance into routine decision-making remains incon…
- Semantic Scholar 2025 · Article (Applied Sciences)
Decision-Making Framework for Aviation Safety in Predictive Maintenance Strategies
The implementation of predictive maintenance (PM) in aviation presents unique challenges due to strict safety requirements, complex operational environments, and regulatory constraints.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (JAAER)
Low-Resource Automatic Speech Recognition Domain Adaptation – A Case-Study in Aviation Maintenance
With timeliness and efficiency being critical in the aviation maintenance industry, the need has been growing for smart technological solutions that optimize and streamline the different underlying ta…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (JAAER)
A New Trajectory in UAV Safety: Leveraging Reinforcement Learning for Distance Maintenance Under Wind Variations
In the field of aviation, safety is a critical cornerstone, and the operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems is deeply connected with this principle.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Just Culture in Aviation: A Metaphorical Study on Aircraft Maintenance Students
Just Culture, a sub-dimension of safety culture, has been a prominent and debated topic in aviation safety in recent years.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Performance PRISM: A Comprehensive Framework For Performance Measurement In Aircraft Maintenance
Aircraft maintenance is governed by rigorous safety requirements and high operational complexity, demanding robust performance measurement frameworks to ensure optimal maintenance practices.
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