# Accident 19990419003729A: Amtr WITTAILW10, Dover, TN, April 19, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: April 19, 1999, 10:30 local time - Place: Dover, TN - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 36.4802° N, 87.8396° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.4802&lon=-87.8396&mi=10 - Aircraft: N1194K, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1194K-2000-05-01) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Durrwachter John C WITTMAN TAILWND W-10 (registry code 05604PD, https://openairdocs.org/model/durrwachter-john-c-wittman-tailwnd-w-10) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AMTR WITTAILW10 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 1,000 total, 55 in this make and model - NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA99LA134](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA99LA134) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990419003729A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ACFT EXPERIENCED POSSIBLE ENGINE FAILURE AND CRASHED INTO A FIELD, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (-23) ON APRIL 18, 1999, MR. JOHN DURRWACHTER REPOSITIONED N1194K DEPARTING FROM HUMPHRIES CO. AIRPORT LOCATED IN WAVERLY, TN TO A PRIVATE GRASS AIRFIELD LOCATED 5 MILES EAST OF DOVER, TN, ON HWY 79. BEGINNING THE MORNING OF APRIL 19, 1999, MR. DURRWACHTER WAS INVOLVED IN GIVING RIDES TO FAMILY MEMBERS FROM THE GRASSTRIP. ACCORDING TO SON GREGORY DURRWACHTER, AFTER THE FIRST FLIGHT OF APPROX. 20 MINUTES, MR. DURRWACHTER PRODUCED A WOODEN DOWEL ROD AND CHECKED THE FUEL QUANTITY REMAINING. MR. DURRWACHTER MADE THE STATEMENT THAT HE COULD GIVE ONE MORE RIDE AND THEN EITHER HAD TO OBTAIN MORE FUEL OR RETURN TO WAVERLY. THE AIRCRAFT THEN DEPARTED FOR THE SECOND RIDE, WITH SON DENNIS DURRWACHTER AS PASSENGER. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NEARBY FIELD. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER ARE PRESENTLY BOTH PARAPLEGICS AS A RESULT OF THE IMPACT. ALTHOUGH NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL TANK A STRONG PRESENCE OF AUTOMOTIVE FUEL ODOR WAS NOTED AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE. APPROX. 6 MINUTES WOULD ELAPSE BEFORE A PASSERBY WITNESS AND GREGORY DURRWACHTER ARRIVED AT THE SITE. THE WITNESS, AN ARMY G REEN BERET WARRANT OFFICER WAS DRIVING NW ON HWY 79 AND NOTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS HEADING APPROX. 050 DEGREES AND FLYING AT 200' AGL. HE STATED THE AIRCRAFT THEN MADE A STEEP LEFT TURN AND STRUCK THE GROUND LEFT WING LOW AT ABOUT A 30 DEGREE ANGLE. HE HEARD NO SOUNDS FROM THE VEHICLE (THIS WITNESS STATEMENT WOULD INDICATE THAT THE AIRCRAFT MAY HAVE ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO ITS DEPARTURE POINT, BUT INSTEAD MADE AN IMMEDIATE "OFF FIELD" LANDING.) THE GREEN BERET PULLED BOTH INDIVIDUALS FROM THE AIRCRAFT. HE STATED THERE WERE STRONG FUEL ODORS AND THAT SOMETHING WAS STILL RUNNING ON THE AIRPLANE. GREGORY DURRWACHTER ARRIVED SHORTLY AFTER AND SWITCHED OF THE ELECTRIC BOOST PUMP WHICH WAS STILL OPERATING. PILOT JOHN DURRWACHTER WHO RECEIVED HEAD AND SPINAL INJURIES STATES ONLY THAT "IT LOST POWER." DURRWACHTER HAD RECEIVED 6 HOURS FLIGHT INSTRUCTION APPROX. 9 MOS. EARLIER BUT HAD NOT RECEIVED A FLIGHT REVIEW ENDORSEMENT, IN HIS LOGBOOK. THE INSTRUCTOR STATED "HE MET THE REQUIREMENTS" FOR COMPLETING THE FLIGHTREVIEW AND GAME HIM THE NECESSARY GROUND AND FLIGHT AND WOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM SIGNING HIM OFF. HOWEVER, THE INSTRUCTOR FAILED TO MAKE THE ENDORSEMENT. INVESTIGATORS BELIE VE THE AIRCRAFT HAD SUFFICIENT FUEL AND SUFFERED SOME TYPE OF ENGINE/ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION, BUT THIS HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN AND REMAINS SPECULATION. (.4) WITNESSES SAW THE HOMEBUILT AIRPLANE TAKEOFF AND ATTAIN AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 200 FEET AGL, APPEAR TO LOSE POWER, AND ATTEMPT A DESCENDING LEFT TURN TOWARD THE RUNWAY. THE WITNESSES HEARD THE ENGINE 'POPPING', BEFORE THE AIRPLANE CRASHED INTO A PASTURE SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. POSTCRASH INSPECTION OF THE WRECKAGE BY FAA INSPECTORS REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF UNCONTAMINATED AUTOMOTIVE FUEL, CONTROL PATH CONTINUITY IN ALL THREE AXIS, AND NO AIRFRAME ABNORMALITIES. SUBSEQUENT REMOVAL AND FUNCTIONAL TEST OF THE AUTOMOTIVE ENGINE REVEALED NO ABNORMALITIES. ## 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 MIA99LA134](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA99LA134), Apr 19, 1999: Durrwachter Wittman Tailwind (N1194K), Dover, TN, substantial damage. Probable cause: A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons 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.