- Date
- June 18, 1988, 08:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Atwater, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N249SJSmith Model B Avid Flyer
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 7, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880618026739A
- Case key
- 25747
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, just after takeoff, the engine suddenly lost power and went to idle. The pilot made an off airport landing without incident. The pilot inspected the engine finding nothing unusual. The pilot attempted another takeoff to return to the airport. Just after takeoff the engine lost power again. The pilot made a landing perpendicular to freshly plowed rows of soft dirt. The tail collided with the terrain first and the airplane came to a sudden stop.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N249SJ
- Reported as
- Smith Model B Avid Flyer (MODEL B AV)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 222
- Airframe hours
- 112
- Engine
- Rotax 532, 64 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jeffrey E. Smith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 2, 1988 · 11 hours before
- Airport
- 001 · Atwater
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 192 total · 112 in this make and model · 153 as pilot in command · 43 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.