Amateur-built Protech PT2B accident near Anita, Iowa, November 6, 2004
On November 6, 2004 at about 5:15 pm local time, a amateur-built Protech PT2B, registered N46WT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anita, Iowa (Anita Muni-Kevin Burke Memoria airport). 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 pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed and an inadvertent stall/spin resulting in loss of control and an in-flight collision with terrain. An additional cause was a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 6, 2004 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Anita, Iowa · Anita Muni-Kevin Burke Memoria · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Protech PT2B
- Registration
- N46WT · registry record · serial PT1122
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental amateur-built airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during an inadvertent stall/spin following a loss of engine power. The pilot's wife reported that her husband had recently bought the aircraft and was conducting high-speed taxi work the week prior to the accident. She stated that on the day of the accident he conducted approximately 12 taxi runs on the runway. He reportedly called her on the radio inquiring if everything looked alright. She replied that everything seemed normal. She reported that her husband started what she thought was another taxi run, but this time he took off. She stated that the aircraft subsequently made a sharp bank and nose-dived. She noted that as far as she knew, this was her husband's first flight in the aircraft. A witness reported that the airplane was in a turn when the engine "stalled or quit." He stated the aircraft subsequently "headed in a nose dive" and impacted the ground. A second witness reported that the aircraft was in a turn when it sounded as if the engine "stalled." He noted this was followed by either a "sputter sound or a sound like he was trying to start it." He stated that this occurred twice and at the end of the second time, the "nose came down and the plane went into a spin and crashed." A post-accident inspection did not reveal any anomalies associated with a pre-impact failure. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating. He had logged 310 hours total flight time. The temperature and dew point recorded by the Atlantic Municipal Airport (AIO) Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) at 1115, located about 13 miles west of Y43, were 18 degrees Celsius and 8 degrees Celsius, respectively. Data provided by Transport Canada indicated a possibility of moderate carburetor icing at cruise power and serious icing at descent power existed under those conditions.
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: 310 hours in all
- Last flight review: November 26, 1997
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 202 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 14, 2004; 3.8 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Y43 Anita IA at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 5:15 pm from AIO, 13 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.
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.