- Date
- June 24, 2009, 19:29 local (Jun 25, 2009, 00:29 UTC)
- Place
- Mena, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N604XShultz Jeffrey D Sonex
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090624009549A
- Case key
- 74143
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 total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The private pilot established a descent from a cruise altitude of 8,500 feet for an approach and landing to refuel on the second leg of a cross-country flight. At an altitude of about 5,000 feet, the engine stopped producing power. The pilot attempted to restore power by adjusting the throttle, mixture, and magnetos. The engine lost power completely. The pilot then attempted a restart and was unsuccessful. A forced landing was made to an open field between two rows of houses. During the landing roll, the airplane's wings hit a stop sign and several trees. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector on scene, the engine had compression, turned over by hand, and showed no outward signs of failure. No reason could be determined for the loss of engine power.
Factual narrative
The private pilot established a descent from a cruise altitude of 8500 feet for approach to refuel on his second leg of a cross-country flight. At an altitude of about 5000 feet the engine stopped producing power. The pilot attempted to restore power by adjusting the throttle, mixture, and magnetos. The engine quit completely. The pilot then attempted a restart and was unsuccessful. A forced landing was made to an open field between two rows of houses. During the landing roll the airplane wings hit a stop sign and several trees and sustained substantial damage. The pilot was not injured. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector on scene, the engine had compression, turned over by hand, and showed no outward signs of failure. No reason could be determined for the engine failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N604X
- Reported as
- Shultz Jeffrey D Sonex
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 604
- Engine
- Ama/Expr UNKNOWN ENG, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- F44 · Athens, TX
- Destination
- KMEZ · Mena, AR
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- KMEZ · Mena Intermountain Municipal
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
- 34
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Last flight review
- March 19, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 334 total · 95 in this make and model · 253 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 95 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- KMEZ, 3 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 17, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 142 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.