- Date
- October 7, 1990, 07:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Durango, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N839Historical A-001
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report November 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901007066339A
- Case key
- 18002
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 failure due to carburetor ice. A factor in the accident was the lack of carburetor heat equipment installed in the aircraft.
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
During initial climb following takeoff on the first flight of an experimental homebuilt aircraft, the aircraft experienced a rough running engine followed by a complete power failure. The pilot conducted an emergency landing onto level terrain covered by low trees. The aircraft sustained substantial damage during the landing sequence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N839
- Reported as
- Historical A-001
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1
- Airframe hours
- 1
- Engine
- Ford 2300 CC, 75 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Warren A. Eberspacher
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 21, 1990 · 1 hours before
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 546 total · 546 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °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.