- Date
- May 17, 1996, 20:26 local (May 18, 1996, 00:26 UTC)
- Place
- Rockford, MI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4274AJohnson Avid Flyer
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 18, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960517010789A
- Case key
- 10250
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
engine overtemperature which occurred for an undetermined reason. A factor was the excessive descent rate.
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 pilot reported that he was climbing, 300 to 400 feet above ground level, when the engine suddenly lost power. After two to three seconds, the engine 'fired' for 'another second' then lost power again. He selected a road to conduct a forced landing. He reported that during the landing 'the vertical velocity was too fast.' The landing gear collapsed and the left wing collided with a post. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of engine control or flight control malfunction and no anomalies with fuel or oil. The piston rings were 'seized on the piston.'
Factual narrative
On May 17, 1996, at 2026 eastern daylight time, a Johnson Avid Flyer, N4274A, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a total loss of engine power near Rockford, Michigan. The private pilot and one passenger reported no injuries. The personal, 14 CFR Part 91 flight originated in Greenville, Michigan about 1930 with a planned destination of Belding, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that he was climbing, 300 to 400 feet above ground level, when the engine suddenly lost power. After two to three seconds, the engine "fired" for "another second" then lost power again. He selected a road to conduct a forced landing. He reported that during the landing "the vertical velocity was too fast." The landing gear collapsed and the left wing collided with a post. The airplane came to rest in about 100 feet and the occupants egressed uneventfully.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector who examined the wreckage reported no evidence of engine control or flight control malfunction and no anomalies with fuel or oil. He reported that the piston rings were "seized on the piston."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4274A
- Reported as
- Johnson Avid Flyer
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 564
- Airframe hours
- 122
- Engine
- Rotax 582, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William C. Granger
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 10, 1996 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- 6D6 · Greenville, MI
- Destination
- Belding, 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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 427 total · 22 in this make and model · 316 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.