# NTSB ERA09LA383: Rans S5 Coyote, N284AH, Greeneville, TN, July 7, 2009 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 7, 2009, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC) - Place: Greeneville, TN - Coordinates: 36.192779, -82.815002 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.1928&lon=-82.8150&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Fuel starvation](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/191) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report September 30, 2009 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 74217 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA09LA383 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/74217/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=74217 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA09LA383 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a forced landing. Contributing to the accident was the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation resulting from the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Performance/control parameters: airspeed](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062010): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Rans S5 COYOTE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062010/cases.md?model=05903EN), [All aircraft, 1,681 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062010/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Rans S5 COYOTE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=05903EN), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Inspection: preflight inspection](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061510): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Rans S5 COYOTE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061510/cases.md?model=05903EN), [All aircraft, 551 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061510/cases.md) - [Fuel system: fuel selector/shutoff valve](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022823): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Incorrect use/operation (probable cause); cases with it: [Rans S5 COYOTE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022823/cases.md?model=05903EN), [All aircraft, 176 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022823/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute-cruise: Fuel starvation](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/191) (defining event); cases with it: [Rans S5 COYOTE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/191/sequence.md?model=05903EN), [All aircraft, 733 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/191/sequence.md) - [Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341); cases with it: [Rans S5 COYOTE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=05903EN), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Aerodynamic stall/spin](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241); cases with it: [Rans S5 COYOTE, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241/sequence.md?model=05903EN), [All aircraft, 1,529 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot stated that he was descending through 2,500 feet mean sea level when the engine lost total power. He attempted an engine restart, but the engine started and lost power again. A forced landing was initiated towards an open field. The flaps were not extended and the airspeed was about 31 mph when the airplane stalled. The right wing dropped down, the nose pitched down, and airplane collided with the ground. Performance data for the airplane revealed it would stall at 31 mph in a clean configuration. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, the engine assembly, and accessories revealed no anomalies. The fuel selector valve, located behind the pilot seat, was found in the on position. The right main fuel tank shutoff valve was found in the on position. The left fuel tank shutoff valve was found in the off position. The left and right shutoff valves were marked correctly, manually operated, and functioned. The pilot stated both fuel valves were in the on position during his preflight inspection. First responders who responded to the accident site stated they only cut the battery cable. No other switches or buttons were disturbed. ## Factual narrative On July 7, 2009, at 1230 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Rans S5 Coyote airplane, N284AH, registered to and operated by a private owner, as a Title 14 Code of Federal regulations Part 91 personal flight, lost engine power while in cruise flight in the vicinity of Greeneville, Tennessee. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage and the private pilot reported minor injuries. The flight originated from a private airstrip in Morristown, Tennessee at 1200. The pilot stated he was descending through 2,500 feet mean sea level (msl) when the engine lost total power. He started the engine and it lost power again. The pilot initiated a forced landing by turning right towards an open field. He stalled the airplane about 100 feet msl while concentrating on clearing obstacles in the forced landing area. The registered owner stated he purchased the airplane from an estate on January 19, 2009. The airplane had 4.9 hours at the time of purchase. The last condition inspection was conducted on June 27, 2009, and the total time on the airplane was 6 hours. The engine had 10 total hours and the airplane had been flown about 1 hour since the last condition inspection. Examination of the crash site revealed the airplane collided with the ground in a nose down attitude and spun to the left, coming to rest on a heading of 320 degrees magnetic. The nose gear was bent aft and the composite propeller blades were folded back. The spinner did not exhibit any signs of rotation. The engine assembly remained attached to the airframe and the engine cowling was not separated. The forward cabin area received structural damage. The throttle was at idle. The mixture was full rich. No carburetor heat is installed on the airplane. The fuel selector valve, located behind the pilot, was in the on position. The right main fuel tank shutoff valve was in the on position. The left main fuel tank shutoff valve was in the off position. The left and right shutoff valves were marked correctly, manually operated, and functioned. The left and right main landing gear were bent upward. Continuity of the flight controls was confirmed from the cabin area aft to all flight control surfaces. Examination of the right wing revealed mud on the leading edge, approximately 5 feet inboard from the wing tip. The leading edge of the right wing was not damaged. The right aileron was not damaged and remained attached to its attachment points. The flaps were not extended. The right wing strut was not damaged and remained attached to the wing and the fuselage attachment point. The right main fuel tank was not ruptured and had about 1/2 gallon of fuel remaining in the fuel tank. No fuel leakage was present on the ground. The empennage, located behind the pilot seat, received structural damage. The horizontal stabilizers, vertical fin, and rudder were not damaged. Examination of the left wing revealed no damage. Theleading edge of the left wing was not damaged. The left aileron was not damaged and remained attached to its attachment points. The flaps were not extended. The wing strut was not damaged and remained attached to the wing and the fuselage attachment point. The left main fuel tank was not ruptured and had about 5 gallons of fuel in the tank. Three to three and one-half gallons of fuel were drained in order to transport the airplane for further examination. There was no fuel leakage present on the ground. The crankshaft was rotated by hand. Valve and drive train continuity was confirmed, and continuity was established with all accessory gears. Suction and compression was obtained on all cylinders. Test for spark was conducted and spark was present. The fuel lines were examined and found free of blockage. Review of the Rans S5 Coyote specifications and performance data indicates the maximum gross weight of the airplane is 587 pounds. The stall speed of the airplane in a clean configuration with the Rotax 503 engine is 31 mph. The stall speed with flaps extended is 27 mph. The pilot stated to a National Transportation Safety Board investigator that he observed the fuel shutoff valves, in the fuel line from each tank, in the open position during his preflight inspection. First responders who responded to the accident site stated they cut the battery cable on the airplane. No other buttons or switches were disturbed. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N284AH](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N284AH-2010-12-21), registration cancelled 2010-12-21, S/N N-001303, built 2004 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: RANS S5 COYOTE - Registry model: [Rans S5 COYOTE](https://openairdocs.org/model/rans-s5-coyote) (registry code 05903EN) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Rotax 503 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-503-series) (registry code 55564, 2 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: N-001303 - Airframe hours: 10 - Engines: Rotax 503 47 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Devault David Hodges - Registered owner: Devault David Hodges - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Condition, June 27, 2009, 1 hours before - Departed: None, Morristown, TN - Destination: GYC, Greeneville, TN ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 63; injuries: minor; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review March 13, 2008; seat: front; flight hours: 909 total, 1 in this make and model, 869 as pilot in command, 20 in the last 90 days, 1 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: variable at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 57 °F - Altimeter: 29.92 inHg - Observed at: TRI, 26 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20090707011729A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20090707011729A), Jul 7, 2009: Rans S5COYOTE, Greeneville, TN, Substantial damage. (-23) Aircraft N284AH departed cooper for greenville municipal airport (gcy) pilot was descending through 2500 ft for gcy when the engine lost power. The pilot… ## Docket (14 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 24, 2009, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=74217. 3.2 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 720 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40315849&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Statement Registered Owner (item 2, .PDF, 64 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40315787&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20Registered%20Owner-Redacted.PDF - FAA Inspector Statement Alderman (item 3, .PDF, 165 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40315966&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Inspector%20Statement%20Alderman-Redacted.PDF - Greeneville EMS Report (item 4, .PDF, 399 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40315841&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Greeneville%20EMS%20Report-Redacted.PDF - Rans S 5 Coyote Specifications and Performance (item 5, .PDF, 130 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40315788&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Rans%20S%205%20Coyote%20Specifications%20and%20Performance-Redacted.PDF - Extract Logbooks (item 6, .PDF, 258 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40315786&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Extract%20Logbooks-Redacted.PDF - Airworthiness Certificate, Registration, Operating Limitations (item 7, .PDF, 455 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40315789&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Airworthiness%20Certificate,%20Registration,%20Operating%20Limitations-Redacted.PDF - Photo 1 - View looking back down the approach end of the open field. Photo FAA (item 8, .PDF, 153 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40315880&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201%20-%20View%20looking%20back%20down%20the%20approach%20end%20of%20the%20open%20field.%20Photo%20FAA-Master.PDF - Photo 2 - Front view of airplane at rest. Photo FAA (item 9, .PDF, 173 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40315881&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202%20-%20Front%20view%20of%20airplane%20at%20rest.%20Photo%20FAA-Master.PDF - Photo 3 - Right side view of airplane at rest. Photo FAA (item 10, .PDF, 187 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40315882&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%203%20-%20Right%20side%20view%20of%20airplane%20at%20rest.%20Photo%20FAA-Master.PDF - Photo 4 - Rear view of airplane. Photo FAA (item 11, .PDF, 166 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40315885&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%204%20-%20Rear%20view%20of%20airplane.%20Photo%20FAA-Master.PDF - Photo 5 - left side view of airplane. Photo FAA (item 12, .PDF, 147 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40315886&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%205%20-%20left%20side%20view%20of%20airplane.%20Photo%20FAA-Master.PDF - Photo 6 - View of left shut off vale in the off position. Photo FAA (item 13, .PDF, 73 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40315883&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%206%20-%20View%20of%20left%20shut%20off%20vale%20in%20the%20off%20position.%20Photo%20FAA-Master.PDF - Photo 7 - View of right shut off valve in the open position. Photo FAA (item 14, .PDF, 78 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40315884&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%207%20-%20View%20of%20right%20shut%20off%20valve%20in%20the%20open%20position.%20Photo%20FAA-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.