Amateur-built Avid Flyer accident near Hillsboro, Oregon, December 30, 2006
On December 30, 2006 at about 5:50 pm local time, a amateur-built Avid Flyer, registered N93TT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hillsboro, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power during maneuvering flight due to carburetor icing, and inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Factors were the ambient weather conditions conducive to carburetor icing and fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 30, 2006 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Hillsboro, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Avid Flyer
- Registration
- N93TT · no longer on the register · serial 1134D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who was flying to a location where he was going to meet family members for lunch, departed from an airport that was reporting clear skies, no precipitation, and nine miles visibility. About seven minutes after departure he encountered an area of solid undercast. The ambient conditions in the area made carburetor icing a strong possibility at both glide and cruise power, and soon after flying over the undercast the pilot experienced carburetor icing and his engine started to lose power. Although the aircraft's carburetor heat system was later found to be without anomaly, the pilot was unable to keep the engine running, and it eventually lost all power. He then was forced to descend through the thick layer of fog to attempt a forced landing in instrument meteorological conditions. During that attempted landing, the aircraft impacted the terrain, resulting in fatal injuries to the pilot.
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: 336 hours in all; 10 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 1, 2004
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 288 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 1, 2006; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KHIO Hillsboro OR at 5:38 pm
- Destination: 17S Newberg OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from KHIO
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.