- Date
- July 8, 2009, 13:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Chesterfield, MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N20VVLewis Keith O Viggenite
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern downwind: 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
- FAA-St. Louis FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090708011699A
- Case key
- 74238
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 unknown reasons.
Findings · 2
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 pilot reported that while in the airport traffic pattern, the airplane's engine lost power just after completing a turn from the crosswind leg to the downwind leg of the pattern. At the time of the engine failure the airplane was about 1,100 feet above mean sea level (approximately 630 feet above ground level). The pilot reported that the airplane abruptly pitched up and he attempted one restart to no avail. He reported that the airplane continued to decelerate with full forward stick pressure. In order to keep the airplane from stalling the pilot rolled the airplane inverted and pulled back on the stick to lower the nose of the airplane. He then rolled the airplane back upright and pulled back to arrest the descent before contacting trees. The pilot reported that the homebuilt airplane is an all aluminum version of the Vari-Viggen design and believed that the pitch up following the loss of power was due to the high thrust line location of the pusher engine configuration. The airplane was powered by a converted Mazda rotary automobile engine. An examination of the engine and fuel system revealed sufficient fuel and fuel within the fuel line to the carburetor. A visual examination of the engine revealed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that while in the airport traffic pattern, the airplane's engine quit just after completing a turn from the crosswind leg to the downwind leg of the pattern. At the time of the engine failure the airplane was about 1,100 feet above mean sea level (approximately 630 feet above ground level). The pilot reported that the airplane abruptly pitched up and he attempted one restart to no avail. He reported that the airplane continued to decelerate with full forward stick pressure. In order to keep the airplane from stalling the pilot rolled the airplane inverted and pulled back on the stick to lower the nose of the airplane. He then rolled the airplane back upright and pulled back to arrest the descent before contacting trees. The pilot reported that the homebuilt airplane is an all aluminum version of the Vari-Viggen design and believed that the pitch up following the loss of power was due to the high thrust line location of the pusher engine configuration. The airplane was powered by a converted Mazda rotary automobile engine. An examination of the engine and fuel system revealed sufficient fuel and fuel within the fuel line to the carburetor. A visual examination of the engine revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N20VV
- Reported as
- Lewis Keith O Viggenite
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 014
- Airframe hours
- 32
- Engine
- Mazda 13B`, 185 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · October 9, 2008
- Departed
- SUS · Chesterfield, MO
- Destination
- SUS · Chesterfield, MO
- Airport
- SUS · Spirit of St. Louis, runway 26R, 5,000 × 75 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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 19, 2009
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 2 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- KSUS
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 18, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 MB 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.