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20110727016449A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Christiansen Don E Do RV-4 · Fort Worth, TX · July 27, 2011

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Date
July 27, 2011 · 20:10 local
Place
Fort Worth, TX
Airport
Fort Worth Spinks
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N114DC
Reported as
Christiansen Don E Do RV-4
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
3,100 total45 in the last 90 days
N114DCRegistered now · Christiansen Don E Do RV-4S/N 057 · Built 1990Airframe modelChristiansen Don E Do RV-4Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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.

The pilot reported that the engine started to sputter and miss as he started his decent though 4000MSL he diverted to the Fort Worth-Spinks airport (kfws). He reported that he did squawk 7700 but the comm radio did not appear to be working at that time. The aircraft landed on an unimproved area of the airport a corn field with the corn 8 to 10 inches high. The pilot reported that he landed downwind and tail low and continued though the field until the aircraft spun left and momentarily came up on its nose. The pilot reported the damage as minor with the tail wheel assembly broken off the airframe, the left main landing gear strut bent and both wheel paints damaged. The pilot was taken to the hospital later that night with chest pain and was admitted. Investigation found that the aircraft did have firewall damage, and there was an indication of carburetor icing. The temperature at 5000 feet MSL at 1900L was reported by noaa to be 72F (22C) with a due point of 52F (11C) that when charted show to have been in "serious icing during decent" probability range.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE STARTED TO SPUTTER AND MISS AS HE STARTED HIS DECENT THOUGH 4000MSL HE DIVERTED TO THE FORT WORTH-SPINKS AIRPORT (KFWS). HE REPORTED THAT HE DID SQUAWK 7700 BUT THE COMM RADIO DID NOT APPEAR TO BE WORKING AT THAT TIME. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED ON AN UNIMPROVED AREA OF THE AIRPORT A CORN FIELD WITH THE CORN 8 TO 10 INCHES HIGH. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE LANDED DOWNWIND AND TAIL LOW AND CONTINUED THOUGH THE FIELD UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT SPUN LEFT AND MOMENTARILY CAME UP ON ITS NOSE. THE PILOT REPORTED THE DAMAGE AS MINOR WITH THE TAIL WHEEL ASSEMBLY BROKEN OFF THE AIRFRAME, THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUT BENT AND BOTH WHEEL PAINTS DAMAGED. THE PILOT WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL LATER THAT NIGHT WITH CHEST PAIN AND WAS ADMITTED. INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT THE AIRCRAFT DID HAVE FIREWALL DAMAGE, AND THERE WAS AN INDICATION OF CARBURETOR ICING. THE TEMPERATURE AT 5000 FEET MSL AT 1900L WAS REPORTED BY NOAA TO BE 72F (22C) WITH A DUE POINT OF 52F (11C) THAT WHEN CHARTED SHOW TO HAVE BEEN IN "SERIOUS ICING DURING DECENT" PROBABILITY RANGE.