- Date
- February 6, 1995, 10:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Athens, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N30CKCraighead Corben JR. ACE
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 23, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950206001219A
- Case key
- 19349
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 reasons. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced 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 homebuilt airplane was on its third test flight when the engine lost power a few minutes after departure. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and landed in a pasture. The landing gear collapsed when he turned 'sharply' to avoid hitting a fence. The cause of the engine power loss could not be determined.
Factual narrative
On February 6, 1995, at 1000 central standard time, a Corben Jr. Ace homebuilt airplane, N30CK, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Athens, Texas. The private pilot, owner and builder of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal local flight.
The pilot reported a normal runup and takeoff from the Athens Municipal Airport for the airplane's third test flight. The engine lost power a few minutes after he departed the traffic pattern. He attempted a restart, but was unsuccessful. After landing in a pasture, the pilot turned "sharply" left to avoid a fence. The landing gear collapsed and the right rear wing spar was damaged.
The airplane was examined by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector who observed no mechanical anomalies in the airframe or engine. The pilot reported that the engine "sat in his shop for 2 years before it was installed on the airplane."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N30CK
- Reported as
- Craighead Corben JR. ACE (CORBEN JR.)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- C-002
- Airframe hours
- 1
- Engine
- Continental C85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kenneth R. Craighead
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 22, 1995 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- F44
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
- 71
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,515 total · 1 in this make and model · 1,515 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.