Amateur-built BA-100 accident near Killeen, Texas, August 10, 2013
On August 10, 2013 at about 2:27 pm local time, a amateur-built BA-100, registered N27BD, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Killeen, Texas (Killeen Skylark Field Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper management of the fuel mixture, which resulted in an over-rich fuel mixture condition and a subsequent partial loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 2013 · about 2:27 pm local time
- Place
- Killeen, Texas · Killeen Skylark Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BA-100
- Registration
- N27BD · no longer on the register · serial BGD004
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that, during taxi and takeoff, he set the engine fuel mixture control to the full-rich position. While in the crosswind turn, the engine lost partial power, and the pilot made a forced landing in a forested area. Examination of the engine revealed that the No. 1 cylinder's spark plugs were completely carbon-fouled and that the Nos. 2 through 4 cylinders' spark plugs were badly sooted. It is likely that the pilot did not properly manage the engine mixture, which led to an over-rich fuel mixture condition during the takeoff and resulted in a partial loss of engine 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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during initial climb
- Hard landing during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Power plant › (general) › Failure
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 260 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 220 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2012
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 3, 2013; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Vw 1600 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KILE Killeen TX at 2:25 pm
- Destination: KILE Killeen TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 2:15 pm from KILE, 1 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.