Amateur-built FLY BABY accident near Keller, Texas, May 31, 2009
On May 31, 2009 at about 10:52 pm local time, a amateur-built FLY BABY, registered N59357, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Keller, Texas (Stage Coach Hills airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power due to an obstruction of the air intake, as reported by the pilot. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's insufficient preflight inspection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 2009 · about 10:52 pm local time
- Place
- Keller, Texas · Stage Coach Hills · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built FLY BABY
- Registration
- N59357 · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot conducted a run-up of the experimental airplane's 65-horsepower engine prior to departure, since it had not been flown in the past 90 days. The engine produced full power and the pilot departed the private airstrip. Shortly after takeoff, the engine started to gradually lose power and the airplane was unable to maintain a normal climb rate. The pilot returned to the airport, but had to execute a go-around due to another airplane being on the runway. When he applied full power, black smoke was observed "belching" from the exhaust and the engine power continued to decline. The pilot made a forced landing to a field adjacent to the airstrip and subsequently the airplane sustained structural damage. The pilot reported that there was no air filter installed on the engine and he thought that a nest of mud-dauber wasps had built a nest in the air intake, vibrated loose, and was ingested into the carburetor intake.
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
What happened, in order
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Loss of engine power (partial) during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Failure
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Debris/dirt/foreign object › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,929 hours in all; 625 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 1,873 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 24, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 783 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 14, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 926 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor A&C65 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4TX2 Keller TX at 11:00 pm
- Destination: Keller TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 pm from AFW, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.