Amateur-built GY 201 MINICAB accident near Granite Shoals, Texas, March 24, 2012
On March 24, 2012 at about 11:24 pm local time, a 1994 amateur-built GY 201 MINICAB, registered N416FC, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Granite Shoals, Texas (Sunrise Beach Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of a contaminated carburetor fuel screen. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's impairment from medications that degraded his decision-making and the pilot's improper maintenance of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 2012 · about 11:24 pm local time
- Place
- Granite Shoals, Texas · Sunrise Beach Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built GY 201 MINICAB, built 1994
- Registration
- N416FC · no longer on the register · serial 01
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported seeing the airplane within a mile of the departure airport and hearing the engine sputter before a total loss of engine power. One witness stated that it sounded like the engine was starved of fuel. The airplane then descended and impacted a tree and terrain. A postaccident examination of the amateur-built airplane revealed that about 75 percent of the carburetor fuel screen was blocked by dirt and debris, which would have decreased the fuel flow to the engine, resulting in a partial loss of engine power. The examination also revealed that duct tape was used to patch holes in the fabric skin and on a fuel line connection, and "C" clamps that were used to support the wing rib to spar attachments. The airplane's logbooks were not recovered during the investigation; however, the overall condition of the airplane suggests that it had not been properly maintained. The level of postmortem ethanol detected in the pilot's blood, urine, and vitreous fluid would have caused significant impairment; however, the pilot was soaked in gasoline as a result of the accident and postmortem exposure to gasoline containing ethanol has been shown to result in positive ethanol results. Therefore, it cannot be determined what portion, if any, of the ethanol found post mortem was from ingestion. The pilot's impairment from both hydrocodone and tramadol most likely degraded his decision-making ability.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Fuel starvation during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel distribution › Damaged/degraded
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Not specified
- factor Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Prescription medication › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 89 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor C85 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Sunrise Beach TX at 11:22 pm
- Destination: Sunrise Beach TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 pm from DZB, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.