- Date
- November 1, 1997, 09:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Wellington, NV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N44JRRodgers/Gaust RV-6
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 28, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19971101045259A
- Case key
- 29997
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
Fuel starvation due to a fatigue fractured mixture control cable. Contributing factors were the soft, brush-covered emergency landing field.
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
All engine power was suddenly lost while cruising over mountainous terrain in the pilot's experimental airplane. The pilot made a forced landing on a soft, brush-covered field, and during rollout the airplane nosed over. The pilot indicated that the power loss resulted from the engine's mixture control cable breaking due to fatigue at its carburetor attachment fitting. The component had a total time in service of 114 hours.
Factual narrative
On November 1, 1997, at 0930 hours Pacific standard time, an experimental Rodgers/Gaust RV-6, N44JR, owned and operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Wellington, Nevada. Neither the private pilot nor the passenger was injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed during the personal flight, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Bishop, California, at 0830.
According to the pilot, engine power was suddenly lost while cruising over mountainous terrain en route to Carson City, Nevada. The pilot made a forced landing in a soft dirt field which was covered with sagebrush. During rollout the airplane nosed over.
The pilot reported that the airplane had a total engine and airframe time of 114 hours. In the pilot's completed report, he indicated that the loss of engine power resulted from the engine's mixture control cable breaking at its carburetor attachment fitting. The pilot verbally reported that he believed the cable broke due to fatigue.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44JR
- Reported as
- Rodgers/Gaust RV-6
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 24545
- Airframe hours
- 114
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jerry T. Rodgers
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 2, 1997 · 114 hours before
- Departed
- BIH · Bishop, CA
- Destination
- O04 · Carson City, NV
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,715 total · 114 in this make and model · 1,715 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.