# Accident 19970809021389A: Riekkinen Martti RYELONG LE, Wurtsboro, NY, August 9, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 9, 1997, 11:30 local time
- Place: Wurtsboro, NY
- Damage: Destroyed
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.5697° N, 74.4791° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.5697&lon=-74.4791&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4YC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4YC-2015-05-08) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Riekkinen Martti RYELONG LE (registry code 056904F, https://openairdocs.org/model/riekkinen-martti-ryelong-le) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD97LA108](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD97LA108) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970809021389A

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT WING STRUCK RUNWAY WHILE EXECUTING A HIGH SPEED MANEUVER, HIT A BERM. (.19) ON AUGUST 9, 1997 AT APPROXIMATELY 1130 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL RIEKKENEN RYELONG LE, N4YC, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED THE TERRAIN WHILE EXECUTING A LOW ALTITUDE MANEUVER AT WURTSBORO-SULLIVAN COUNTY AIRPORT, WURTSBORO, NEW YORK. THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT/OWNER, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS FATALLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE FLIGHT CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. NUMEROUS WITNESSES WATCHED AS THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED ON RUNWAY 23 AND CLIMBED INTO A LEFT HAND TRAFFIC PATTERN. THE PILOT EXTENDED DOWNWIND WHILE MAINTAINING ALTITUDE. THE WITNESSES STATED THAT THE TURNS TO BASE LEG AND FINAL WERE DONE IN SUCH A WAY AS TO LOSE ALTITUDE AND ACCELERATED THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE ARRIVED AT THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 23, AT APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, AND AT VERY HIGH RATE OF SPEED. APPROXIMATELY TWO THIRDS OF THE WAY DOWN THE RUNWAY, THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED TO ABOUT 100 FEET AND COMMENCED A LEFT ROLL. HALF WAY THROUGH THE ROLL, IN THE INVERT                                                                       ED POSITION, WITNESS STATEMENTS CONCURRED THAT THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE FELL BELOW THE HORIZON AND THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO DESCEND. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED TO ROLL, BUT THE RATE OF DESCENT INCREASED, AND THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND WITH THE RIGHT WING FIRST IN APPROXIMATELY 30 DEGREES NOSE DOWN AND 30 TO 45 DEGREES RIGHT WING DOWN ATTITUDE.

## 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 IAD97LA108](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD97LA108), Aug 9, 1997: Riekkenen Ryelong LE (N4YC), Wurtsboro, NY, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot performed an aerobatic maneuver and misjudged the altitude.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.