- Date
- April 20, 2003, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Peculiar, MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N42KYYadon Starflight Stiletto
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA-Kansas City FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030420009509A
- Case key
- 56947
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 pilot's inadvertent shutdown of the engine. Contributing factors were unsuitable terrain and trees.
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
The amateur-built airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing into trees after a complete loss of engine power during cruise flight. The pilot reported he was in cruise flight when, "the engine stopped running after I inadvertently hit the 'KILL' switch. Realizing what I had done, I place the switch back in the 'ON' position, but could not get the engine to restart." The pilot attempted to execute a forced landing to a clearing, but the airplane hit two tall trees and became hung up in their branches. The pilot exited the airplane and climbed down to lower branches where rescuers assisted in getting him to the ground. The pilot reported he will change the location of the kill switch when he rebuilds the airplane.
Factual narrative
On April 20, 2003, at 1500 central daylight time, an amateur-built Yadon Starflight Stiletto, N42KY, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing into trees after a complete loss of engine power during cruise flight near Peculiar, Kansas. The private pilot was not injured. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight departed the Hillside Airport, Stilwell, Kansas, at 1445, on a local flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported he was in cruise flight when, "the engine stopped running after I inadvertently hit the 'KILL' switch. Realizing what I had done, I place the switch back in the 'ON' position, but could not get the engine to restart." The pilot attempted to execute a forced landing to a clearing, but the airplane hit two tall trees and became hung up in their branches. The pilot exited the airplane and climbed down to lower branches where rescuers assisted in getting him to the ground.
The pilot reported he will change the location of the kill switch when he rebuilds the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N42KY
- Reported as
- Yadon Starflight Stiletto
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 5033
- Airframe hours
- 126
- Engine
- Rotax 447, 40 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Tom Tietze
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 3, 2002 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- 63K · Stilwell, KS
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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 220 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 16 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OJC, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.