Taylorcraft BLT-65 accident near Mount Airy, North Carolina, April 25, 1986
On April 25, 1986 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BLT-65, registered N27529, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mount Airy, North Carolina (Mount Airy-Surry County airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 1986 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Airy, North Carolina · Mount Airy-Surry County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BLT-65
- Registration
- N27529 · no longer on the register · serial 2171
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT THE ENGINE LOST POWER TO IDLE RPM FOLLOWED BY A FORCED LANDING IN TREES. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT DETERMINED THAT A SNAP RING WHICH HELD THE THROTTLE CABLE HOUSING IN PLACE IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CAME LOOSE. WITHOUT THE SNAP RING THE THROTTLE CABLE FLEXED INSTEAD OF ACTUATING THE CARBURETOR THROTTLE LEVER. THE RESULT WAS THAT THE ENGINE RPM COULD NOT BE CONTROLLED AND THE ENGINE RAN AT IDLE POWER.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,805 hours in all; 218 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-145-B2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Pilot Mountain NC at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:46 pm from INT, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.