# NTSB CHI04LA005: Waco CTO, N9577H, Greenfield, IN, October 7, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: October 7, 2003, 17:30 local (23:30 UTC) - Place: Greenfield, IN - Coordinates: 39.790279, -85.736114 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.7903&lon=-85.7361&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 29, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA - Indianapolis FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 58176 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI04LA005 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/58176/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI04LA005 ## Probable cause The loss of engine power during cruise and subsequent fire for undetermined reasons. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - mech failure/malf, cruise - reason for occurrence undetermined (contributing factor) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - Fire, standing - engine(s) not operating - reason for occurrence undetermined (cause) ## Analysis The airplane made a forced landing in a soybean field after a loss of engine power. A post landing fire destroyed the airplane. The pilot stated the engine started to "sputter/cough" and lose power after approximately 4 minutes and 5 miles from the airport. The pilot reported that he tried to restart the engine by cycling through the magnetos, throttle, and mixture as well as check the fuel valve position. The pilot stated he was unsuccessful in restarting the engine. The pilot reported that subsequent to the landing the airplane became engulfed in flames. Examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies. ## Factual narrative On October 7, 2003, at 1730 central standard time, a Waco CTO, N9577H, owned and piloted by a private pilot was destroyed after a forced landing in a soybean field when a fire ensued, near Greenfield, Indiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight departed Pope Field Airport (GFD), Greenfield, Indiana, at 1720. According to the pilot's written statement, prior to takeoff a preflight inspection and engine run-up was performed with no anomalies. The takeoff and climb out were uneventful. The pilot reported the engine started to "sputter/cough" and lose power after approximately 4 minutes and 5 miles from the airport. The airplane was at approximately 1,700 feet mean sea level and an airspeed of 80 miles per hour when the power loss occurred. The pilot stated that he initiated a descent to find a suitable landing area. The pilot reported he tried to restart the engine by cycling the magnetos, throttle, and mixture. The pilot also verified the fuel valve was in the "on" position. The pilot stated that he was unsuccessful in restarting the engine. The pilot reported that he aligned the airplane with the rows of a soybean field. The pilot stated the airplane "came over the trees fast, [I] shut off fuel and master switch." The pilot reported the airplane hit the ground "hard and bounced". The pilot stated that after touchdown, he smelled "smoke" that could have been an electrical smell. The pilot reported the airplane stopped in 900 feet. The pilot stated the accident site was "dusty" and he could not tell if the smoke was visible or not. The pilot reported that after he exited the airplane he saw a fire burning under the fuel tank around the battery box. The pilot stated that he left the area and after he was approximately 20 feet away, he turned and saw the fire had burned through the fabric under the fuel tank on the left side. The pilot reported the airplane became engulfed in flames. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane subsequent to the accident. The FAA inspector reported that the fire consumed the majority of the airplane. Both upper and lower wings were consumed to approximately the outer 2/3's of the span. The engine and propeller sustained minor damage. The fuel tank was ruptured in three places. The fuel line from the tank to the shutoff valve had three ruptures and was melted off the shutoff valve. The fire destroyed the fuel line from the shutoff valve to the gascolator, as well as the gascolator. The magnetos, spark plugs, and the valve train and accessory gearbox were checked, and no discrepancies were noted. The fire's initiating event was not identified. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N9577H](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9577H), registered now, S/N A-47, built 1929 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Waco CTO - Registry model: [Waco CTO](https://openairdocs.org/model/waco-cto) (registry code 9601214) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Wright 760A B D E&ET](https://openairdocs.org/engine/wright-760a-b-d-e-et) (registry code 67009, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: A-47 - Airframe hours: 505 - Engines: Wright R760-8 235 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Thomas S. Lozier - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, May 20, 2003, 30 hours before - Departed: GFD, Greenfield, IN ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 41; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review May 21, 2002; seat: rear; flight hours: 675 total, 505 in this make and model, 625 as pilot in command, 25 in the last 90 days, 15 in the last 30 days, 0 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 0° at 0 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 54 °F - Altimeter: 30.05 inHg - Observed at: GEZ ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20031007029359A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20031007029359A), Oct 7, 2003: Waco CTO, Greenfield, IN, Destroyed. (-23) Principal maintenance inspector's statement: on October 8, 2003 inspectors from this office were dispatched to investigate an accident near greenville,… ## Other investigations on N9577H (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CHI98LA008](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA008), Oct 4, 1997: Waco CTO (N9577H), Cloverdale, IN, substantial damage. Probable cause: the Boeing pilot failed to identify the Waco airplane on the runway before initiating a takeoff. Factors related to the accident were: the restricted forward visibility of both pilots due to the… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.