- Date
- August 3, 2007, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lapeer, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5HBButtles SNS-7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Detroit, Michigan FSDO
- Case key
- 66553
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 fuel starvation for an undetermined reason, and the unsuitable terrain encountered during the forced landing. The trees were a factor.
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 flight made a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot stated that about 7 minutes after takeoff while in cruise flight at 1,000 feet above ground level, the engine sputtered. He stated that he began a turn to return to the airport and as he turned about 90 degrees, the engine lost power completely. He said that he elected to land in a farm field and during the landing he struck trees at the approach end of the field. The pilot stated that he believed the engine failure was due to a blocked fuel vent on the main tank of the airplane. Subsequent examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies with regard to the airplane or its engine. The main fuel tank was found to be nearly full of fuel. The auxiliary fuel tank contained a small amount of fuel.
Factual narrative
The flight made a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot stated that about 7 minutes after takeoff while in cruise flight at 1,000 feet above ground level, the engine sputtered. He stated that he began a turn to return to the airport and as he turned about 90 degrees, the engine quit completely. He said that he elected to land in a farm field and during the landing he struck trees at the approach end of the field. The pilot stated that he believed the engine failure was due to a blocked fuel vent on the main tank of the airplane. Subsequent examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies with regard to the airplane or its engine. The main fuel tank was found to be nearly full of fuel. The auxiliary fuel tank contained a small amount of fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5HB
- Reported as
- Buttles SNS-7
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 212
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Garth Newton
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- D95 · Lapeer, MI
- Destination
- 3BS · Midland, MI
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, With waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 200 total · 122 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day