- Date
- October 4, 1986, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lincoln, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N63SMSmith & R. Mathews RV-4
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861004047689A
- Case key
- 25338
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
During a local test flight of an experimental home built acft, the engine experienced a total loss of power at aprx 3000 ft AGL. Unable to return to the airport, the plt landed in an open field. Aprx one ft above the two foot high grass, the plt raised the nose to flare when the acft entered a stall. The left wing dropped and dragged on the ground. The main landing gear collapsed upon touchdown and the acft nosed over. Inspection of the engine revealed that a safety wire had not been installed and the gascalator was loose. Aprx 1 tablespoon of fuel was found in the fuel lines between the gascalator and the carburetor.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N63SM
- Reported as
- Smith & R. Mathews RV-4
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 63
- Airframe hours
- 6
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-AIA, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ray H. Smith
- Registered owner
- Smith, Ray H. Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 3, 1986 · 6 hours before
- Airport
- 05I · Lincoln Municipal, runway 15, 6,000 × 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
- 61
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 3,189 total · 6 in this make and model · 1,574 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MVY, 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.
Other investigations on N63SM · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.