ATL97LA023

NTSB accident investigation · Pereyra Aventura II · Rockledge, FL · December 9, 1996

Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
December 9, 1996, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
Place
Rockledge, FL
Injuries
1 minor, 1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Enroute
Aircraft
N32913Pereyra Aventura II
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report August 25, 1997
Report
Approved by Office Director
Case key
3811

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

On this page

Probable cause

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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.

Loss of engine powerClimb
Reason for occurrence undeterminedCause
Forced landingEmergency landing after takeoff
In flight collision with terrain/waterEmergency landing after takeoff

Analysis

Before takeoff, the pilot completed a preflight inspection and engine runup, and reported that all systems were normal. As the airplane climbed through 400 feet, following the takeoff, the engine lost power. When attempts by the pilot to restart the engine failed, he selected a forced landing area for an emergency landing. During the landing roll to a road, the pilot realized that he could not negotiate a turn in the road and elected to continue into a rock quarry below the level of the road surface. The examination of the airplane and the two stroke engine assembly at the accident site failed to disclose a mechanical problem. The examination confirmed that all engine accessories and sub-systems were capable of normal operation.

Factual narrative

On December 9, 1996, at 1130 eastern standard time, a Pereyra Aventura II, N32913, collided with the ground during an attempted emergency landing near Rockledge, Florida. The personal flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The experimental airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot received minor injuries, and the passenger was not injured. The flight departed a private airstrip near Rockledge, Florida, at 1035.

Before takeoff, the pilot completed a preflight inspection and an engine runup, and reported that all systems were normal. He further stated that, as the airplane climbed through 400 feet, following the takeoff, the engine lost power. After attempts by the pilot to restart the engine failed, he selected a paved road for the forced landing area. During the landing roll the pilot realized that he could not negotiate a turn in the road. At this point, he elected to continue the landing roll out off the road into an adjacent rock quarry below the level of the road surface.

The examination of the airplane and the two stroke engine assembly at the accident site failed to disclose a mechanical problem. The examination confirmed that all engine accessories and sub-systems were capable of normal operation.

Aircraft

Registration
N32913
Reported as
Pereyra Aventura II (AVENTURA I)
Category
Airplane, amateur-built
Serial number
AP2A0001
Airframe hours
363
Engine
Rotax 582, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Jose Castiglione
Registered owner
Arnet Pereyra
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Experimental (Special)
Last inspection
Annual · July 23, 1996 · 133 hours before
Departed
NONE
Airport
X65 · Rockledge, runway 36, 2,100 × 50 ft, asphalt

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
40
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Medical
Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat
Left
Flight hours
4,494 total · 309 in this make and model · 4,489 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
320° at 15 knots
Visibility
20 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
63 °F, dew point 30 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
MLB, 35 nm away