- Date
- May 5, 1990, 13:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Columbia, IL
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N371FZZengel RV-4
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900505015739A
- Case key
- 14434
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 failure to maintain a proper glidepath to touchdown on the runway.
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
Following maneuvers at altitude in his owner-built airplane, the private pilot returned to the field for landing. On the third landing pass, the airplane touched down in a wheat field short of the runway and nosed over. No mechanical discrepancy was reported or discovered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N371FZ
- Reported as
- Zengel RV-4
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 371
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Zengel, Frank H.
- Registered owner
- Frank H Zengel
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 14, 1990 · 8 hours before
- Airport
- Columbia
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 160 total · 8 in this make and model · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N371FZ · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.