- Date
- July 4, 1998, 09:10 local (14:10 UTC)
- Place
- Greenwood, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9129FBrunnemer HMB-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980704016279A
- Case key
- 10954
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 loss of engine power due to a fractured ignition coil. A factor to the accident was the soft terrain.
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 stated that approximately 10 minutes into the flight the engine loss complete power. The pilot was cruising at an approximate altitude of 700' above ground level (agl). The pilot completed a forced landing into a soybean field and upon touchdown the aircraft dug into the soft terrain. The front wheel contacted the terrain first, resulting in the aircraft to nose over and come to rest in an inverted position. The pilot stated that the area had received 1.5 inches of rain the night before, and that produced the 6 inches of mud that was present in the soybean field. Post accident investigation showed that the ignition coil had broken due to fatigue from operational vibrations. No other engine or aircraft anomalies were found.
Factual narrative
On July 4, 1998, at 0910 central daylight time, a Brunnemer HMB-2, N9129F, piloted by a private pilot, received substantial damage when it impacted the terrain during a forced landing, following a loss of engine power during cruise flight, near Greenwood, Indiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal 14 CFR Part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight departed a private airstrip near Franklin, Indiana, at 0900, with the intended destination of Putnam County Airport, near Greencastle, Indiana.
According to the pilot's written statement, the pilot stated that approximately 10 minutes into the flight the engine loss complete power. The pilot was cruising at an approximate altitude of 700' above ground level (agl). The pilot completed a forced landing into a soybean field and upon touchdown the aircraft dug into the soft terrain. The front wheel contacted the terrain first, resulting in the aircraft to nose over and come to rest in an inverted position. The pilot stated that the area had received 1.5 inches of rain the night before, and that produced the 6 inches of mud that was present in the soybean field.
Post accident investigation showed that the ignition coil had broken. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector stated that the fatigue was attributed to operational vibrations. No other engine or aircraft anomalies were found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9129F
- Reported as
- Brunnemer HMB-2
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 9-95-2
- Airframe hours
- 93
- Engine
- Subaru EJ22, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Harlan M. Brunnemer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 30, 1997 · 18 hours before
- Departed
- 71II · Franklin, IN
- Destination
- 4I7 · Greencastle, IN
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 225 total · 225 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IND, 12 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.