- Date
- July 21, 2004, 11:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Erie, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N10627Davis-Zenair Stol CH 801
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20040721031379A
- Case key
- 59730
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
impact with terrain during a forced landing following a loss of engine power for underdetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
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
According to the pilot, the airplane's 1988 liquid-cooled Mazda Twin-rotor automotive engine had accumulated approximately 2,500 road miles, but the airplane had accumulated a total of only 1.5 hours of flight time. The pilot said he was conducting the initial test flight and had completed 10 takeoffs and landings on runway 33. While on crosswind following the 11th takeoff, he noticed that the indicated engine coolant temperature had increased from, a normal operating temperature of 110 degrees F., to 220 degrees F. The increase in temperature was followed by a drop in engine rpm and a partial loss of engine power. Unable to maintain pattern altitude, the pilot attempted to land on runway 09, but the pilot was forced to land in a plowed field approximately 200 feet short of the runway. The impact displaced the left wing aft, collapsed the nose landing gear assembly, and buckled the firewall. An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
On July 21 2004, at approximately 1130 mountain daylight time, a Davis-Zenair, STOL CH 801, N10627, was substantially damaged following a loss of engine power, when it impacted terrain during a forced landing on a field near Erie, Colorado. The airline transport certificated pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local test flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The flight originated at Erie-Tri-County Airport (48V), Erie, Colorado, at approximately 1000.
According to the pilot, the airplane's 1988 liquid-cooled Mazda Twin-rotor automotive engine had accumulated approximately 2,500 road miles, but the airplane had accumulated a total of only 1.5 hours of flight time. The pilot said he was conducting the initial test flight and had completed 10 takeoffs and landings on runway 33. While on crosswind following the 11th takeoff, he noticed that the indicated engine coolant temperature had increased from, a normal operating temperature of 110 degrees F., to 220 degrees F. The increase in temperature was followed by a drop in engine rpm and a partial loss of engine power. Unable to maintain pattern altitude, the pilot attempted to land on runway 09, but the pilot was forced to land in a plowed field approximately 200 feet short of the runway. The impact displaced the left wing aft, collapsed the nose landing gear assembly, and buckled the firewall.
An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N10627
- Reported as
- Davis-Zenair Stol CH 801
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 84292
- Airframe hours
- 1.5
- Engine
- Mazda Twin Rotor, 196 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Guy Davis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- 48V · Erie, CO
- Destination
- 48V · Erie, CO
- Airport
- 48V · Erie-Tri-County
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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- July 28, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,271 total · 2 in this make and model · 6,617 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 80 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- KBJC, 7 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.