- Date
- June 1, 2007, 08:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Seabrook, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N61RGray Jack Tean Rocket F1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Houston, Texas
- Case key
- 65914
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
The loss of engine power for undetermined reason. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the precautionary 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
The pilot overran the departure end of the grass runway during a precautionary landing following a partial loss of engine power. The 1,393-hour commercial pilot reported hearing a loud noise while in cruise flight, followed by a partial loss of engine power. The pilot attempted to land the high performance single-engine airplane on a 1,400-foot-long, by 75-foot-wide grass runway. The pilot, who had accumulated a total of 320-hours in the same make and model, reported that he "elected to set the plane down, knowing I would go-off the end of the runway." The homebuilt airplane overran the departure end of the grass runway and collided with trees and terrain. Both wings sustained structural damage. The pilot exited through the canopy with minor injuries. The pilot reported that the 260-horsepower engine had accumulated a total of 265-hours, with 7-hours since its last inspection. The reason for the partial loss of power could not be determined.
Factual narrative
The pilot overran the departure end of the grass runway during a precautionary landing following a partial loss of engine power. The 1,393-hour commercial pilot reported hearing a loud noise while in cruise flight, followed by a partial loss of engine power. The pilot attempted to land the high performance single-engine airplane on a 1,400-foot-long, by 75-foot-wide grass runway. The pilot, who had accumulated a total of 320-hours in the same make and model, reported that he "elected to set the plane down, knowing I would go-off the end of the runway." The homebuilt airplane overran the departure end of the grass runway and collided with trees and terrain. Both wings sustained structural damage. The pilot exited through the canopy with minor injuries. The pilot reported that the 260-horsepower engine had accumulated a total of 265-hours, with 7-hours since its last inspection. The reason for the partial loss of power could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N61R
- Reported as
- Gray Jack Tean Rocket F1
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 70
- Airframe hours
- 265
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-C4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jack Gray
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 2007 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- T41 · La Porte, TX
- Destination
- HDO · Hondo, TX
- Airport
- 6R5 · Alvin Airpark, runway 21, 1,420 × 75 ft, grass/turf
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
- 68
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2007
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,393 total · 320 in this make and model · 12 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- HOU, 14 nm away