- Date
- November 11, 1987, 14:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3153YSadler Vampire
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871111063579A
- Case key
- 25723
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 pleasure flight, while climbing to altitude, the engine quit. A forced landing was made on a dirt road where during the landing roll the aircraft collided with a ditch. Examination of the engine revealed that the rear cylinder next to the gear box contained a burnt piston. A hole was beginning to burn through the center of the piston head. Also, molten aluminium was found sprayed onto the cylinder walls. According to the engine distributor, this was indicative of detonation caused by improper grade/octane fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3153Y
- Reported as
- Sadler Vampire
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Airframe hours
- 41
- Engine
- Rotax 503, 50 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William G. Sadler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · August 26, 1987 · 41 hours before
- Departed
- FF2 · Mesa, AZ
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,100 total · 39 in this make and model · 39 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 45 °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.