20081031853119A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Amtr AV HP · Weirwood, VA · October 31, 2008

Date: October 31, 2008 · 13:20 local
Place: Weirwood, VA
Airport: Campbell Field
Phase of flight: Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N1932H
NTSB investigation: NTSBERA09CA046
Reported as: Amtr Avhp
Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX503
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 400 total250 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days

N1932HRegistration cancelled Dec 4, 2008 · Hilderson Oswald AV HPS/N 0018 · Built 2002 Airframe modelHilderson Oswald AV HP Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Upon entering the traffic patter at 1100 feet MSL the pilot stated he encountered a downdraft, lost control of the aircraft and became inverted. The engine lost power from fuel starvation and the pilot glided into the tree tops. The aircraft fell through the trees until the left wing hit the ground and the right wing remained in the tree branches. The pilot compartment stopped about 4-feet in the air.

As the FAA filed it

UPON ENTERING THE TRAFFIC PATTER AT 1100 FEET MSL THE PILOT STATED HE ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT, LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND BECAME INVERTED. THE ENGINE LOST POWER FROM FUEL STARVATION AND THE PILOT GLIDED INTO THE TREE TOPS. THE AIRCRAFT FELL THROUGH THE TREES UNTIL THE LEFT WING HIT THE GROUND AND THE RIGHT WING REMAINED IN THE TREE BRANCHES. THE PILOT COMPARTMENT STOPPED ABOUT 4-FEET IN THE AIR.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ERA09CA046Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportWeirwood, VAThe pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane following an in-flight encounter with turbulence during approach, which led to a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, and subsequent forced landing into trees.Oct 31, 2008 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N1932H · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20070715012709INormal Cruise · Silver Beach, VA(-23) July 15, 2007 N1932H an experimental amateur built aventura av HP was piloted by [privacy data omitted] and flying low over the chesapeake bay at approximately twenty feet in cruise flight when the engine failed. The aircraft sustained minor damage to…Jul 15, 2007 · Minor damage