19960125005109I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amtr RV-4 · Fayetteville, NC · January 25, 1996

Date: January 25, 1996 · 18:40 local
Place: Fayetteville, NC
Airport: Gray Creek Airport
Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N15LR
Reported as: Amtr RV4
Reported engine: Lycoming O320A1A
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 9,375 total28 in this make and model43 in the last 90 days

N15LRRegistered now · Riggs Larry RV-4S/N 1309 · Built 1994 Airframe modelRiggs Larry RV-4 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: after normal warm up, taxi-out, and run-up, pilot departed 26C, Gray's Creek. During climb out through 4,000 MSL, pilot heard a soft "whump" from the engine which was followed by a decrease in RPM to 1200. Both magnetos were checked, fuel tanks switched and boost pump on with no change. Pilot then turned back to airport and contacted Fayetteville (fay) approach control. Pilot declared an emergency but was unable to make it to 26C. He landed three-fourths mile from the runway in a cotton field. The aircraft turned left and flipped on its back. The wing tips were damaged; some minor damage to the right wing; the canopy and fiberglass fairing on the fin was damaged. There were no injuries to the pilot and no passengers were on board. Investigation into failure of engine revealed the foam gasket between the airbox and carburetor air inlet came loose and blocked the air passage to the carburetor.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: AFTER NORMAL WARM UP, TAXI-OUT, AND RUN-UP, PILOT DEPARTED 26C, GRAY'S CREEK. DURING CLIMB OUT THROUGH 4,000 MSL, PILOT HEARD A SOFT "WHUMP" FROM THE ENGINE WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY A DECREASE IN RPM TO 1200. BOTH MAGNETOS WERE CHECKED, FUEL TANKS SWITCHED AND BOOST PUMP ON WITH NO CHANGE. PILOT THEN TURNED BACK TO AIRPORT AND CONTACTED FAYETTEVILLE (FAY) APPROACH CONTROL. PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY BUT WAS UNABLE TO MAKE IT TO 26C. HE LANDED THREE-FOURTHS MILE FROM THE RUNWAY IN A COTTON FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT TURNED LEFT AND FLIPPED ON ITS BACK. THE WING TIPS WERE DAMAGED; SOME MINOR DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING; THE CANOPY AND FIBERGLASS FAIRING ON THE FIN WAS DAMAGED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT AND NO PASSENGERS WERE ON BOARD. INVESTIGATION INTO FAILURE OF ENGINE REVEALED THE FOAM GASKET BETWEEN THE AIRBOX AND CARBURETOR AIR INLET CAME LOOSE AND BLOCKED THE AIR PASSAGE TO THE CARBURETOR.