Golden Circle Air T-BIRD II accident near Dunn Center, North Dakota, July 18, 2017
On July 18, 2017, a 1987 Golden Circle Air T-BIRD II, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Dunn Center, North Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control, his inadequate quartering tailwind correction during takeoff, and his decision to continue the takeoff to the south with insufficient road length remaining.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2017
- Place
- Dunn Center, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Golden Circle Air T-BIRD II, built 1987, amateur-built · all T-BIRD IIs on the register
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 20026
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After filling the fuel tanks with fuel, the private pilot determined that the wind was about 7 knots from the north-northeast with gusts to 10 knots. He completed a preflight inspection and an engine run-up and then started the takeoff roll to the south on a gravel road. As the airplane lifted off, the left wing lifted. The airplane then rolled right and landed back on the road. With limited road available to stop the airplane, the pilot advanced the throttle and attempted another takeoff. The airplane did not lift off, and it continued through a fence and into a ditch. The airplane became airborne again, collided with power lines, and then descended nose first into the ground. It is likely that a quartering tailwind lifted the airplane's left wing after liftoff and that the pilot did not adequately correct for it, which resulted in the airplane touching down again. The pilot decided to continue the takeoff attempt with insufficient road length remaining, during which the airplane collided with obstacles on the ground, which prevented the airplane from having sufficient airspeed to climb over obstacles beyond the end of the road.
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
- Other weather encounter during takeoff
- Attempted remediation/recovery during takeoff
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Response/compensation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Crosswind correction › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 348.2 hours in all; 7.8 in this make and model; 24.7 in the last 90 days; 2.4 in the last 30 days; 185.8 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 15, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 618 (piston); 488 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Dunn Center ND
- Destination: Dunn Center ND
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from KDIK, 34 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.