# Accident 19981010028769A: Amtr RV4, Apopka, FL, October 10, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 10, 1998, 17:11 local time
- Place: Apopka, FL
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 28.6798° N, 81.5099° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.6798&lon=-81.5099&mi=10
- Aircraft: N741WB, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N741WB-1999-01-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Xray 78 RV-4 (registry code 05608SF, https://openairdocs.org/model/xray-78-rv-4) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR RV4
- Reported engine: LYC O360A1A
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 132 total, 11 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL99LA007](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL99LA007) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981010028769A

## Narrative

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

WITNESSES STATED THAT THE ACFT APPEARED TO BE PERFORMING AEROBATIC MANEUVERS AND HAD COMPLETED A LOOP WHEN IT STALLED, SPUN IN, AND CRASHED. (-23) AIRCRAFT OBSERVED DOING AEROBATICS AT LOW ALTITUDE. AIRCRAFT COMMENCED A LOOP. AT THE BOTTOM OF WHICH AIRCRAFT ENTERED A PARTIAL SPIN UNTIL GROUND IMPACT. AIRCRAFT FELL STRAIGHT DOWN THROUGH GROVE OF TREES.(.19) ON OCTOBER 10, 1998, AT 1711 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A XRAY 78 INC, RV-4, N741WB, COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND NEAR APOPKA, FLORIDA. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT OPERATED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 WITH NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED. A REVIEW OF WEATHER DATA FROM THE NEAREST REPORTING FACILITY DISCLOSED THAT, VISUAL WEATHER CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE AT THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PRIVATE RATED PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE FLIGHTS' EXACT DEPARTURE TIME FROM APOPKA, FLORIDA, WAS NOT DETERMINED. WITNESSES LOCATED IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REPORTED THAT, THEY OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE AS IT ENTERED A LOOP TYPE MANEUVER. THEY ALSO REPORTED THAT AS THE AIRPLANE ENTERED THE BOTTOM OF THE MANEUV         ER, THERE WAS SOME ERRATIC FLIGHT CONTROL MOVEMENT FOLLOWED BY A NOSE LOW COLLISION WITH THE GROUND. (.4)WITNESSES LOCATED IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE AS IT ENTERED A LOOP TYPE MANEUVER AT A LOW ALTITUDE. AS THE AIRPLANE ENTERED THE BOTTOM OF THE MANEUVER, PROPER AIRSPEED WAS NOT MAINTAINED, THE AIRPLANE BECAME ERRATIC, AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO OPERATE THROUGHOUT THE MANEUVER. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS FOUND IN THE ON POSITION, AND THE FUEL TANKS APPEARED TO BE RUPTURED FROM IMPACT. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME AND ENGINE FAILED TO DISCLOSE A MECHANIAL PROBLEM WITH THE AIRPLANE. THE TOXICOLOGY EXAMINATIONS PERFORMED ON THE PILOT WERE NEGATIVE FOR CARBON MONOXIDE, CYANIDE, ETHANOL, AND DRUGS.

## 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 ATL99LA007](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL99LA007), Oct 10, 1998: W.S. Bowers, Jr. RV-4 (N741WB), Apopka, FL, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while performing aerobatics which resulted in the lost of control and a stall/spin. A contributing factor was the low altitude at which the maneuver was…

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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