- Date
- May 9, 1992, 15:15 local (22:15 UTC)
- Place
- Fresno, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N811QCorbus/Winters BD-5B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920509013949A
- Case key
- 27619
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
The total loss of engine power during initial climb due to a fracture and failure of the engine starter ring gear. A contributing factor which was related to the mechanical failure was the airplane owner's inadequate maintenance.
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 experimental airplane was owned and operated by the pilot. The pilot reported that he experienced a total loss of engine power at about 200 feet above ground level during initial climb. The pilot made a forced landing and collided with a berm. An examination of the airplane revealed its starter ring gear had failed where it had been welded to the engine flywheel (flexplate).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N811Q
- Reported as
- Corbus/Winters BD-5B
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 3239
- Engine
- Honda EB-3, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Howard Winters & Howard Corbus
- Registered owner
- Howard Winters & Howard Corbus
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000
- Destination
- MAE · Madera, 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
- 67
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 18,328 total · 18,314 as pilot in command · 66 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.