- Date
- September 4, 1993, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Magnolia, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N44VJJones Dominator
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930904033539A
- Case key
- 18828
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
Total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A factor was the lack of suitable 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
While in a left bank and just past the departure end of the runway the engine stopped and the pilot had to land the airplane straight ahead in tall weeds and briars. The airplane came to rest on its left side. The pilot reported that he had two previous engine failures and had changed the fuel pump, the pulse line, and the fuel line. An engine examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have contributed to the power loss. This was the first flight after the engine work.
Factual narrative
On September 4, 1993, at 1700 central daylight time, a Jones Dominator, N44VJ, sustained substantial damage near Magnolia, Arkansas, during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight.
The Pilot/Operator report indicated that the flight departed runway 17 and continued to climb past the end of the runway. The pilot stated that "just as I started to bank to the left my engine stopped and I had to land straight ahead in tall weeds and briars" which "impeded" the wheels. He further stated that the gyroplane nosed over and subsequently came to rest on the left side. Main rotor blades, propeller, and structural tubings were damaged. The pilot reported that he had experienced two previous engine failures and had changed the fuel pump, the pulse line, and the fuel line. This was the first flight following that work.
An engine examination conducted by the pilot did not reveal any discrepancies that would have contributed to the power loss.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44VJ
- Reported as
- Jones Dominator
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 62244
- Airframe hours
- 32
- Engine
- Rotax 503 UL DCDI, 50 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jones, Virgil W.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 4, 1993 · 1 hours before
- Airport
- AGO · Magnolia Municipal, runway 17, 4,608 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 32 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ELD, 80 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.