Taylorcraft F21 accident near Payson, Arizona, May 13, 1984
On May 13, 1984 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Taylorcraft F21, registered N2005U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Payson, Arizona. 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 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
- May 13, 1984 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Payson, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft F21 · all F21s on the register
- Registration
- N2005U · registry record · serial F1013
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS LANDED 200 FT SHORT OF THE RWY IN BUSHES AFTER THE ENGINE HESITATED DURING THE PLTS APPLICATION OF THROTTLE IN AN ATTEMPT TO REACH THE RWY. AN FAA INSPECTOR FOUND THE MAGNETO TIMING SET TO 23 PLUS DEGREES RATHER THAN THE PRESCRIBED 20 DEGREES.
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: 446 hours in all; 127 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 410 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 190 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 6, 1984; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 2:00 pm
- Destination: Horseshoe Dam AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.
Other NTSB records under N2005U 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.