Amateur-built T-Bird II accident near Sherburn, Minnesota, November 10, 2001
On November 10, 2001 at about 10:22 pm local time, a amateur-built T-Bird II, registered N3KV, was destroyed in an accident near Sherburn, Minnesota. 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 loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 10, 2001 · about 10:22 pm local time
- Place
- Sherburn, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built T-Bird II
- Registration
- N3KV · registry record · serial 001KV
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The amateur-built experimental airplane was destroyed on impact with terrain during an uncontrolled descent. The pilot was fatally injured. The Sheriff's report stated, "It had started to fall from approximately 500 feet. I was advised that it appeared that the engine had stalled and that the aircraft began to spiral before hitting the ground. The first witness on the scene advised that the engine had been running when he arrived. The parachute on the aircraft had been deployed. It appeared that the aircraft had hit the ground nose first." A witness stated that he watched the airplane fly around for about a half hour. He said the airplane was climbing and descending like a crop duster. He said that he heard the engine shut down. He said that he saw the airplane almost stand there, hung for a second or two, and nosed down. The airplane corkscrewed to the left about three quarters of a turn. He said the airplane did not go directly down and did not glide out of the descent. When the airplane descended below a hill he heard two pops like a shotgun. The accident was reported to the local Automated Flight Service Station as an ultralight accident. Photographs of the accident site showed level terrain available for a forced landing.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 120 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Sherburn MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 10:15 pm from MJQ, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 N3KV 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.