Amateur-built Flybaby accident near Buhl, Idaho, March 31, 2002
On March 31, 2002 at about 5:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Flybaby, registered N1432, was substantially damaged in an accident near Buhl, Idaho (Buhl Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to return the carburetor heat to the OFF (cold) position prior to applying full power following a touch and go landing, which resulted in poor climb performance and the subsequent impact with a fence and collision with the ground. A contributing factor was the fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 31, 2002 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Buhl, Idaho · Buhl Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Flybaby
- Registration
- N1432 · no longer on the register · serial 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he had been doing touch and go landings at the airport and that on the accident circuit he had applied carburetor heat on the downwind. After executing a normal landing, he applied full power to transition to takeoff on runway 09 however, the aircraft's 75 horsepower Continental engine did not respond to the performance level the pilot was accustomed to. The pilot was able to get the aircraft airborne, but the climb performance was inadequate and the aircraft began to veer right towards several hangars. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft clipped a fence on the south side of the airport, impacted the ground upright and then nosed over. The pilot reported to the investigator that he forgot to turn off the carburetor heat during the landing roll and before the application of power, and that the carburetor heat had been left on throughout the duration of the takeoff attempt and ground impact.
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: 588 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 588 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 21, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 526 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 27, 2002; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 960 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-75 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U03 Buhl ID at 4:15 pm
- Destination: U03
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 3,900 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from TWF, 16 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.