What happened
On January 8, 2012, an experimental, amateur-built Bowers Fly Baby 1-A, registration N4626, crashed immediately after departing runway 35 from Jackson County Airport (19A) in Jefferson, Georgia. The flight was a local personal trip conducted under VMC with a visibility of 7 miles.
An eyewitness observed the aircraft climb to an altitude between 100 and 200 feet before it stalled and entered a right-hand spin of approximately one-half turn. The aircraft then impacted the ground at a 45-degree nose-down angle. Prior to the accident, the pilot had reportedly mentioned an attempt to diagnose an engine problem, though the engine sounded to be producing power during the takeoff roll. The pilot sustained 1 fatal injury.
The investigation
An FAA inspector confirmed that the flight control cables remained continuous to all controls, though the aircraft was destroyed by a post-crash fire. An examination of the Continental A-65-F engine revealed significant water inside the engine and corrosion on the spark plugs. While the cylinders operated normally, the right magneto showed signs of internal damage. Specifically, the distributor gear was found unsecured inside the housing, and the castellated nut, cotter pin, and washers for the drive shaft were missing. The interior of the housing exhibited signatures consistent with galling.
Investigators also noted that the temperature and dew point at the time of the accident indicated conditions where serious carburetor icing was possible, though they could not conclusively determine if icing occurred.