- Date
- October 27, 1989, 17:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Van Buren, OH
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4JEEickmeier Pitts Special/S1C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 14460
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
A total loss of engine power for an undetermined reason.
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
An engine failure occurred after takeoff during initial climb. A forced landing was made to a soybean field where the airplane landed hard. The landing gear collapsed during the landing and the airplane nosed down. No mechanical defects were discovered during a post accident teardown inspection of the engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4JE
- Reported as
- Eickmeier Pitts Special/S1C (PITTS SPEC)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- JLE-001
- Airframe hours
- 10
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-3C, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John L. Eickmeier
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 19, 1989 · 10 hours before
- Destination
- NONE · Mcclure, OH
- Airport
- NONE · Woodward Private
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
- 27
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 700 total · 11 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FDY, 6 nm away