- Date
- January 25, 1986, 10:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fortuna, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N661SVangrunsven RV-3A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860125002009A
- Case key
- 24970
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 acft stalled in a turn during a forced landing after the engine lost power. Post acc investigation revealed an inoperative fuel selector valve. Witnesses said that the acft did not sound like it was developing full pwr during take off roll. Shortly after takeoff the eng sputtered and died. When the plt tried to climb & turn back to the arpt he lost contrl and stalled into the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N661S
- Reported as
- Vangrunsven RV-3A
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 64661
- Airframe hours
- 1,800
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-B1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Donald A. Scott
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 3, 1985 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- FOT · Fortuna, CA
- Destination
- EKA · Eureka, CA
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 125 total · 30 in this make and model · 20 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.