Thomas Outback accident near Edenton, NC
On July 3, 2002, a Thomas Outback (airplane) was involved in an accident near Edenton, NC. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 3, 2002
- Place
- Edenton, NC
- Aircraft
- Thomas Outback · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 36.077°N, 76.465°W
- NTSB ID
- 20020710X01084
Official records · MIA02LA127
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 3, 2002, about 1610 eastern daylight time, a Perley A. Thomas Kitfox Outback experimental amateur-built airplane, N74PT, registered to and operated by a private individual, as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed shortly after takeoff from a private strip in Edenton, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The commercial-rated pilot and one passenger received fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. A witness who was working at the landing strip stated that he observed the airplane as it was getting ready to depart, and initially the airplane was stationary for about 5 minutes, and the engine sounded as if it was "missing or sputtering", and not as it had sounded on previous occasions. He said that as the airplane departed it became airborne prior to reaching the flag, and as it proceeded down the runway it sounded as if it was losing power. As it passed the flag, the witness said it started moving to the left and impacted trees at the end of the runway. The FAA inspector who responded to the scene of the accident stated that the pilot/owner and the airplane mechanic who were both in the accident airplane, had been working on it just prior to the accident flight. He further stated that they had removed the previous propeller and had installed another, and were embarking on a test flight after maintenance had been performed. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot/owner held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single and multi
Probable cause
The pilot/owner's failure to establish an adequate climb rate and his failure to maintain obstacle clearance.
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Browse: North Carolina
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
