# Accident 19960517010789A: Amtr AVIDFLYER, Rockford, MI, May 17, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 17, 1996, 20:26 local time
- Place: Rockford, MI
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.1200° N, 85.5502° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.1200&lon=-85.5502&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4274A, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4274A-2000-03-27) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Johnson Robert A AVID FLYER (registry code 056187U, https://openairdocs.org/model/johnson-robert-a-avid-flyer) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR AVIDFLYER
- Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX582
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 427 total, 22 in this make and model, 1 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI96LA163](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI96LA163) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960517010789A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AIRCRAFT ENGINE FAILED WHILE AIRCRAFT WAS IN TRAFFIC PATTERN, MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON A ROAD. (.4)THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS CLIMBING, 300 TO 400 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. AFTER TWO TO THREE SECONDS, THE ENGINE 'FIRED' FOR 'ANOTHER SECOND' THEN LOST POWER AGAIN.  HE SELECTED A ROAD TO CONDUCT A FORCED LANDING.  HE REPORTED THAT DURING THE LANDING 'THE VERTICAL VELOCITY WAS TOO FAST.'  THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE LEFT WING COLLIDED WITH A POST.  EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF ENGINE CONTROL OR FLIGHT CONTROL MALFUNCTION AND NO ANOMALIES WITH FUEL OR OIL.  THE PISTON RINGS WERE 'SEIZED ON THE PISTON.'                    (-23) ON MAY 17, 1996 AT APPROXIMATELY 1940 HOURS EDT, AN EXPERIMENTAL/AMATEUR BUILT AVID FLYER AIRCRAFT, N4274A, S/N 564, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE MAIN LANDING GEARS AND LEFT WING WHILE MAKING AN EMERGENCY OFF AIRPORT LANDING, AFTER ENGINE FAILURE, ON HART STREET 25 NM, NE OF GRAND RAPIDS, MI. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT GREENVILLE, MI. THE PRIVATE PILOT, WILLIAM C. GRANGER, AND HIS PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSE                                                   D, BUT, THE CAUSE OF ENGINE FAILURE REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION AND AN M OR D WILL FOLLOW.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI96LA163](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI96LA163), May 18, 1996: Johnson Avid Flyer (N4274A), Rockford, MI, substantial damage. Probable cause: engine overtemperature which occurred for an undetermined reason. A factor was the excessive descent rate.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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