- Date
- September 22, 1996, 14:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Rio Rancho, NM
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N822CFCoursey Prostar PT-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 23, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960922040009A
- Case key
- 19987
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
fatigue failure of the engine oil cooler coil, which resulted in an oil leak, oil starvation, loss of engine power, and a subsequent forced landing. Factors relating to the accident were: the proximity of a truck on the highway and soft terrain that was encountered during the emergency 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
According to the pilot, while on a local area flight, the engine started to lose oil pressure, and subsequently, it lost power. The pilot elected to land on a westerly heading on a 2-lane paved road. On short final, the pilot noticed a white pick up truck approaching in the opposite direction. While maneuvering to avoid the pick up truck, a high rate of descent developed, and the airplane touched down hard. The airplane ground looped, when the left main gear sank on the soft sand while the right tire touched down on the pavement. The airplane came to a stop on the shoulder of the road facing north. Examination of the engine by an FAA airworthiness inspector and the owner of the airplane revealed a fatigue crack in the oil cooler coil, which allowed oil to be pumped overboard.
Factual narrative
On September 22, 1996, at 1445 mountain daylight time, a Coursey Prostar PT-2 homebuilt airplane, N822CF, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The airplane, owned and operated by a private owner, was being operated under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight for which a flight plan was not filed. The local flight departed from the Double Eagle II Airport, near Albuquerque, New Mexico, at approximately 1400.
According to the pilot, while on a local area flight, the engine started to lose oil pressure and subsequently lost power. The pilot elected to land on a westerly heading on a 2-lane paved road. On short final, the pilot noticed a white pick up truck approaching in the opposite direction. While maneuvering to avoid the pick up truck, a high rate of descent developed and the airplane touched down hard. The airplane ground looped when the left main gear sank on the soft sand while the right tire touched down on the pavement. The airplane came to a stop on the shoulder of the road facing north.
Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector confirmed that the left wing and airframe sustained structural damage, and the left main landing gear collapsed. Examination of the engine by an FAA airworthiness inspector and the owner of the airplane revealed a fatigue crack in the oil cooler coil which allowed the oil to be pumped over board.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N822CF
- Reported as
- Coursey Prostar PT-2 (PROSTAR PT)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- PT-1179
- Airframe hours
- 43
- Engine
- Subaru EA-81, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard J. Coursey
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 21, 1996 · 43 hours before
- Departed
- AEF · Albuquerque, NM
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 101 total · 26 in this make and model · 55 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ABQ, 15 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.