What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(.19)On April 20, 2001, about 1500 CDT, a homebuilt christen eagle ii, N181DM, registered to a private individual, operating as a title 14 CFR part 91 personal flight, sustained a loss of power and a forced landing while in cruise flight near Alexander City, Alabama. Visual meterorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the atp-rate pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated from ball ground, Georgia, for maxwell field, montgomery, Alabama, bout 50 minutes before the accident. According to the pilot, he was in cruise flight at 4,000 feet MSL, when the enigne quit without any warning. He was trying for an emergency landing to an open field when his propeller caught a tree canopy, causing a loss of flare speed and a hard touchdown in the field. (-23) aircraft in cruise flight enroute from Georgia (47A) to (kmxl) engine "just quit". Propeller wind milling pilot established 100 mph best glide and troubled shoot, not able to restart the engine, began looking for emergency landing site, pilot was flying over inhospitable terrain; pilot observe d a field at his 4-6 o'clock position, set up to glide direct to it; touched top of a tree, aircraft dropped at approximately 65-70 mph after landing on a pasture field, aircraft rolled on main wheels then flipped over, pilot was not hurt, the aircraft sustained substantial damage, the cause of the engine failure has not been determined; NTSB has requested an engine tear down. (.4) according to the pilot, at about 4,500 feet MSL, the engine quit without warning. His emergency landing field choices were, trees, a river, or previously forested clearcut fields. He chose a small clearing surrounded by trees and he sustained a hard touchdown and noseover. FAA inspector statements revealed that fuel exhaustion, weather, or pilot human factors were not at issue. Teardown inspection of the modified fuel injection servo by NTSB and repair station personnel revealed internal separation of parts within the servo's regulator assembly which effectively shut down the fuel flow to the engine.
As the FAA filed it
(.19)ON APRIL 20, 2001, ABOUT 1500 CDT, A HOMEBUILT CHRISTEN EAGLE II, N181DM, REGISTERED TO A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL, OPERATING AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT, SUSTAINED A LOSS OF POWER AND A FORCED LANDING WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT NEAR ALEXANDER CITY, ALABAMA. VISUAL METEROROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE ATP-RATE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM BALL GROUND, GEORGIA, FOR MAXWELL FIELD, MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA, BOUT 50 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 4,000 FEET MSL, WHEN THE ENIGNE QUIT WITHOUT ANY WARNING. HE WAS TRYING FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING TO AN OPEN FIELD WHEN HIS PROPELLER CAUGHT A TREE CANOPY, CAUSING A LOSS OF FLARE SPEED AND A HARD TOUCHDOWN IN THE FIELD. (-23) AIRCRAFT IN CRUISE FLIGHT ENROUTE FROM GEORGIA (47A) TO (KMXL) ENGINE "JUST QUIT". PROPELLER WIND MILLING PILOT ESTABLISHED 100 MPH BEST GLIDE AND TROUBLED SHOOT, NOT ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE, BEGAN LOOKING FOR EMERGENCY LANDING SITE, PILOT WAS FLYING OVER INHOSPITABLE TERRAIN; PILOT OBSERVE D A FIELD AT HIS 4-6 O'CLOCK POSITION, SET UP TO GLIDE DIRECT TO IT; TOUCHED TOP OF A TREE, AIRCRAFT DROPPED AT APPROXIMATELY 65-70 MPH AFTER LANDING ON A PASTURE FIELD, AIRCRAFT ROLLED ON MAIN WHEELS THEN FLIPPED OVER, PILOT WAS NOT HURT, THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, THE CAUSE OF THE ENGINE FAILURE HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED; NTSB HAS REQUESTED AN ENGINE TEAR DOWN. (.4) ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, AT ABOUT 4,500 FEET MSL, THE ENGINE QUIT WITHOUT WARNING. HIS EMERGENCY LANDING FIELD CHOICES WERE, TREES, A RIVER, OR PREVIOUSLY FORESTED CLEARCUT FIELDS. HE CHOSE A SMALL CLEARING SURROUNDED BY TREES AND HE SUSTAINED A HARD TOUCHDOWN AND NOSEOVER. FAA INSPECTOR STATEMENTS REVEALED THAT FUEL EXHAUSTION, WEATHER, OR PILOT HUMAN FACTORS WERE NOT AT ISSUE. TEARDOWN INSPECTION OF THE MODIFIED FUEL INJECTION SERVO BY NTSB AND REPAIR STATION PERSONNEL REVEALED INTERNAL SEPARATION OF PARTS WITHIN THE SERVO'S REGULATOR ASSEMBLY WHICH EFFECTIVELY SHUT DOWN THE FUEL FLOW TO THE ENGINE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.