Amateur-built T BIRD II accident near St Mary'S, Kansas, November 5, 2017
On November 5, 2017 at about 5:40 pm local time, a amateur-built T BIRD II, registered N618ER, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near St Mary'S, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to a propeller failure when the passenger’s hat exited the cockpit and impacted the three-bladed pusher propeller, separating one of the propeller blades.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 5, 2017 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- St Mary'S, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built T BIRD II NO SERIES
- Registration
- N618ER · no longer on the register · serial 90062000
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot and passenger planned on a short flight around the traffic pattern in an open-cockpit, light sport airplane. Shortly after takeoff, as the pilot turned downwind, he heard a "crack," and the engine started to vibrate and lose power. The pilot applied power, but the engine did not respond. He turned sharply left and then tried to stop the turn and descend, but the airplane continued to turn and descend until it impacted terrain. A witness saw two objects fall from the airplane shortly after the engine sound "stopped." Both objects were retrieved. The first object was the passenger's knitted hat, the top of which was "chewed up" and had a line burnt/melted into it. The other object was one of the propeller blades. The accident is consistent with the passenger's hat exiting the cockpit and impacting the three-bladed pusher propeller, which led to the separation of one of the propeller blades and the subsequent 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
- Part(s) separation from AC during initial climb defining event
- Loss of engine power (partial) during emergency descent
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Person › Effect on equipment
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,054 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 1,593 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 18, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 159.2 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 9, 2017
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: St Mary'S KS
- Destination: St Mary'S KS
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 12 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,400 ft; scat at 2,200 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KTOP, 20 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
2 documents, released by the NTSB on February 15, 2018. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.