# Accident 20030705012689A: Amtr RV4, Durango, CO, July 5, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 5, 2003, 15:00 local time
- Place: Durango, CO
- Airport: Durango-La Plata County
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.2033° N, 107.8672° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.2033&lon=-107.8672&mi=10
- Aircraft: N78DR, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N78DR-2005-06-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Conn Robert/Jean RV-4 (registry code 056082Q, https://openairdocs.org/model/conn-robert-jean-rv-4) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR RV4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN03LA120](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN03LA120) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030705012689A

## Narrative

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

(-23) THE PILOT STATED HE DEPARTED DURANGO (DRO), COLORADO AIRPORT ENROUTE TO LOS LUNAS (E98), NEW MEXICO AIRPORT ON A PLEASURE FLIGHT. DURING HIS CLIMB TO ABOUT 8,500 FEET HIS WOOD PROPELLER SPLIT IN HALF HORIZONTALLY CAUSING INTOLERABLE VIBRATION FORCING HIM TO SHUT THE ENGINE OFF. DURING THE UNPLANNED LANDING THE AIRCRAFT HIT SOME TREES BEFORE COMING TO REST. THE PILOT WAS HOSPITALIZED IN DENVER, COLORADO WITH A BROKEN RIGHT ANKLE, MULTIPLE CUTS TO HIS FACE AND OTHER BODY PARTS, SORE LOWER BACK AND POSSIBLE VERTABRAE INJURY. THIS IS AN INTERIM REPORT. WHEN MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE, AN AMENDED REPORT WILL BE ISSUED.

## 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 DEN03LA120](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN03LA120), Jul 5, 2003: Conn Vans RV-4 (N78DR), Durango, CO, substantial damage. Probable cause: partial propeller blade separation for reasons undetermined, and the pilot's misjudgment of distance and altitude during the forced landing approach that resulted in his overshooting the road on…

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.