- Date
- September 17, 1993, 10:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Carlsbad, NM
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N44680Culver V
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930917034849A
- Case key
- 18832
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
An inadvertent stall when the pilot lowered the landing gear. A factor was a leaking o-ring in the propeller governor.
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 airplane took off and climbed to an altitude of 150 feet. As the pilot retracted the landing gear he noticed a light colored smoke coming from the engine cowling and the engine began losing power. The pilot turned the airplane back towards the airport and aligned it with the runway. When the pilot lowered the landing gear the left wing dropped and the pilot could not recover. The airplane struck power lines and impacted the ground out of control. Post-accident investigation disclosed a deteriorated and leaking o-ring in the propeller governor. There was no evidence of fire in the engine compartment.
Factual narrative
On September 17, 1993, at approximately 1015 mountain daylight time, N44680, a Culver V, struck power lines and impacted terrain during a landing approach to Seven Rivers Airport, Carlsbad, New Mexico. The airplane was destroyed, and the private pilot and passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight.
According to the pilot, he took off on runway 10 and climbed to 150 feet AGL (above ground level). He raised the landing gear, then noted light colored smoke coming from the right side of the engine cowling and the engine began losing power. The pilot turned back towards the airport and aligned the airplane with runway 22, losing about 50 feet in the process. The pilot saw high power lines ahead. He reported that he lowered the landing gear and the left wing dropped and he "could not recover." When the left wing contacted the power lines control was lost and the airplane impacted the ground.
Post-accident investigation disclosed a deteriorated O-ring in the propeller governor was leaking. There was no evidence of fire within the engine compartment.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44680
- Reported as
- Culver V
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- V71
- Airframe hours
- 921
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12-FJH, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Groves, Robert E. & R. Kathlyn
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 5, 1993 · 2 hours before
- Airport
- 62M · Seven Rivers, runway 22, 2,200 × 50 ft, dirt
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,643 total · 2 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CNM, 18 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.