- Date
- December 26, 1988, 15:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Russellville, AL
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N77SASloan RV-4
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 29, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881226056409A
- Case key
- 7831
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
While cruising at 2500 feet with ram air gate open, engine began to run rough. The plt closed the ram air gate and applied carb heat but the engine continued to run rough and then stopped. The pilot attempted to land in an open field, clearing several large trees, however, as he approached the area, he was too low to avoid the trees. He intentionally stalled the aircraft, which resulted in impact with the ground and substantial damage to the aircraft. Conditions were conducive to the formation of carb ice.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N77SA
- Reported as
- Sloan RV-4
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 77
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Alex Sloan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 22, 1988 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- Muscle Shoals, AL
- Destination
- M22 · Russellville, AL
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 531 total · 137 in this make and model · 449 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.