Amateur-built CASSUTT III M accident near Olin, Texas, August 13, 1984
On August 13, 1984, a amateur-built CASSUTT III M, registered N520BC, was destroyed in an accident near Olin, Texas. 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 1984
- Place
- Olin, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CASSUTT III M CASSUTT II
- Registration
- N520BC · registry record · serial S/N BC 471
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT HAD PURCHASED THE ACFT EARLIER ON DAY OF ACCIDENT. HE HAD NO PREVIOUS TIME IN THE ACFT. HE FLEW FOR 220 MILES AND MADE FIRST LANDING. ACFT SERVICED WITH FUEL ONLY. TAKEOFF WAS MADE AND HE FLEW FOR 60 MILES. ENG BEGAN TO VIBRATE AND BLACK SMOKE OBSERVED. PLT MADE EMERG LANDING AND TOUCHED DOWN HARD IN LEVEL SOD FIELD. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE #1 ROD FAILED FROM OVERHEAT CAUSED BY LACK OF OIL. OIL DRAIN PLUG MISSING. EVIDENCE OF DIRT IN THE HOLE THREADS. NO EVIDENCE OF IMPACT ON DRAIN PLUG. ENG TEAR DOWN AND NTSB METALLURGICAL EXAM CONFIRMED OIL STARVATION TO ROD BEARING COMPONENTS. LAST OIL CHANGE WAS MORE THAN ONE MONTH PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AND THE ACFT HAD NOT BEEN FLOWN UNTIL THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, June 28, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,066 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LZZ Lamasa TX
- Destination: Okmulaee OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.