Flying K Enterprises Sky Raider accident near Augusta, Kansas, August 15, 2021
On August 15, 2021 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 2002 Flying K Enterprises Sky Raider, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N56179, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Augusta, Kansas (N/A airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not determined based on available information.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 2021 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Augusta, Kansas · N/A · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flying K Enterprises Sky Raider, built 2002, amateur-built
- Registration
- N56179 · no longer on the register · serial 74
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the engine power decreased about 1,000 rpm during initial climb after takeoff. Shortly afterward, the engine speed decreased to “almost nothing” but the engine did not quit altogether. The pilot lowered the nose but was only able to gain sufficient airspeed to “flatten the descent” before impact. The airplane came to rest upright in an open field with damage to the lower fuselage. A postrecovery engine examination did not identify any anomalies consistent with an inability to produce rated power. The engine had been removed from the airframe, and the wings removed from the fuselage to facilitate recovery from the accident site and initial repairs. As a result, a comprehensive examination of the airframe fuel system could not be conducted. The engine utilized dual, slide-type carburetors, which are unlikely to accumulate ice.
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
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Unknown or undetermined during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 400 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 350 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2020
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 336.8 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 5, 2018; 37.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 750 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 DCDI (piston); 336 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Augusta KS at 9:30 pm
- Destination: PVT Augusta KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway N/A, 1,500 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 4:30 pm from 3AU, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on June 8, 2023. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photos | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Examination Summary | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Saib CE-09-35 -- Carburetor Icing Prevention | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Carburetor Icing -- Constant Compression, Slide-type Carburetors | PDF, 2 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.