Amateur-built Tailwind accident near Orient, Ohio, July 12, 2018
On July 12, 2018 at about 8:25 pm local time, a 2013 amateur-built Tailwind, registered N619NT, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Orient, Ohio. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s and the flight instructor's incorrect use of the modified mixture control, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and a forced landing. Also causal was the inadequate systems knowledge of the experimental, amateur-built airplane by the pilot and the flight instructor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 2018 · about 8:25 pm local time
- Place
- Orient, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Tailwind, built 2013
- Registration
- N619NT · registry record · serial 4039
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot, who was the owner of the experimental amateur-built airplane, was receiving instruction from a flight instructor during a familiarization flight when the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power while leveling off at 2,000 ft mean sea level. The flight instructor attempted to restart the engine by turning on the carburetor heat and the fuel pump but was not successful. The flight instructor then performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated that the airplane was equipped with an unconventional mixture control that was improperly used during flight and caused the engine to quit running. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the mixture control had been modified from its original configuration; the full-forward position of the mixture control would provide a full lean mixture, opposite of the original configuration in which a full-forward position would have provided a full rich mixture. Thus, it is likely that fuel was inadvertently cut off during flight. There were no other mechanical malfunctions or anomalies reported that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The pilot recommended that "[b]etter and more thorough cockpit familiarization would have prevented the accident from occurring."
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
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Fuel starvation during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Mixture control › Not specified
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Not specified
- cause Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Knowledge › Knowledge of equipment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Knowledge › Knowledge of equipment › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Last flight review: January 1, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 30,000 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 29,800 as pilot in command; 17,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 19, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 7, 2018; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,235 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TZR Columbus OH at 8:10 pm
- Destination: TZR Columbus OH
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from TZR, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on November 7, 2019. 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 - Pilot | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - Flight Instructor | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Correspondence - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Aircraft Logbook | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Engine Log | PDF, 4 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.