Smith AEROSTAR 601P accident near Austin, Texas, September 10, 2014
On September 10, 2014 at about 6:26 pm local time, a 1975 Smith AEROSTAR 601P, registered N711YM, was destroyed in an accident during approach near Austin, Texas (Austin-Bergstrom International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient clearance from trees during the single-engine landing approach. Contributing to the accident was the loss of power in the left engine due to an improperly installed rubber boot that became dislodged and was then partially sucked into the fuel injector servo, which caused an excessively rich fuel-air mixture that would not support combustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 2014 · about 6:26 pm local time · cases in 2014
- Place
- Austin, Texas · Austin-Bergstrom International · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Smith AEROSTAR 601P, built 1975 · all AEROSTAR 601Ps on the register
- Registration
- N711YM · no longer on the register · serial 61P-0215-023
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported observing the airplane flying slowly toward the airport at a low altitude. The left engine was at a low rpm; "sputtering," "knocking," or making a "banging" noise; and trailing black smoke. One witness said that, as the airplane passed over his location, he saw the tail "kick" horizontally to the right and the airplane bank slightly left. The airplane subsequently collided with trees and impacted a field 1/2 mile north of the airport. Disassembly of the right engine revealed no anomalies, and signatures on the right propeller blades were consistent with power and rotation on impact. The left propeller was found feathered. Disassembly of the left engine revealed that the spark plugs were black and heavily carbonized, consistent with a rich fuel-air mixture; the exhaust tubing also exhibited dark sooting. The rubber boot that connected the intercooler to the fuel injector servo was found dislodged and partially sucked in toward the servo. The clamp used to secure the hose was loose but remained around the servo, the safety wire on the clamp was in place, and the clamp was not impact damaged or bent. The condition of the boot and the clamp were consistent with improper installation. The time since the last overhaul of the left engine was about 1,050 hours. The last 100-hour inspection occurred 3 months before the accident, and the airplane had been flown only 0.8 hour since then. It could not be determined when the rubber boot was improperly installed. Although the left engine had failed, the pilot should have been able to fly the airplane and maintain altitude on the operable right engine, particularly since he had appropriately feathered the left engine.
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 approach defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach
The NTSB's findings
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel distribution › Failure other cases naming the fuel system
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Installation › Maintenance personnel
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel distribution › Incorrect service/maintenance other cases naming the fuel system
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 525 hours in all; 37 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,438 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2014; 36 hours since
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-S1A5 (piston); 1,049 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KRBD Dallas TX at 5:26 pm
- Destination: KAUS Austin TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17l, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 6:06 pm from KAUS, 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
29 documents, released by the NTSB on March 9, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N711YM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N711YM: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Smith AEROSTAR 601 124 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Smith 184 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-S1A5 10 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Austin-Bergstrom International · nearest airport
- Dallas Executive · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,063 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,976 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N711YM 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN14FA494.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.