Amateur-built TEAM MINI MAX 1600R accident near Santa Fe, Texas, July 4, 1998
On July 4, 1998 at about 5:08 pm local time, a amateur-built TEAM MINI MAX 1600R, registered N106BK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Fe, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power as result of the failure of the cooling fan belt. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the pilot to execute the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 1998 · about 5:08 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Fe, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TEAM MINI MAX 1600R TEAM MINI
- Registration
- N106BK · no longer on the register · serial 1676P
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was en route and approximately 7 miles from his destination airport, when he observed 'a rise in the cylinder head temperature of the number 1 cylinder.' He attempted to control the temperature by 'coming completely out of the throttle and then going back to full throttle.' At 1,200 feet AGL, the Rotax 503 engine lost power. The pilot stated that he immediately 'put the plane into the best glide rate' and landed the aircraft in a field 'without problems.' During the landing roll, the right wing struck a steel object which was obscured by weeds. Examination of the engine by the owner revealed that the lost of engine power was the result of engine overheating due to the failure of the fan belt to the engine cooling fan.
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: 1,200 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 130 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 560 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T02 Houston TX at 4:15 pm
- Destination: NONE Dickenson TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.