- Date
- October 8, 2003, 12:20 local (16:20 UTC)
- Place
- Bartow, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5668LAmerican General AA-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 5, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Orlando
- FAA report
- 20031008031199A
- Case key
- 58193
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
A loss of engine power due to oil starvation. Also causal was the pilot's improper 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 pilot stated that he did an oil change and forgot to add new oil. He further stated that after taking off, the engine ceased operating and he made a forced landing a short distance from the airport. During the landing the airplane incurred damage.
Factual narrative
On October 8, 2003, about 1220 eastern daylight time, the pilot of an American General AA-1, N5668L, registered to and operated by a private individual, as a Title 14 CFR part 91 personal flight, made a forced landing after takeoff from Bartow Municipal Airport, Bartow, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane incurred substantial damage, and the private-rated pilot received minor injuries. The passenger was not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The pilot stated that he was maintaining the airplane and he had performed an oil change on the day of the accident. He said he went to do other things and forgot to add new oil to the airplane, and after takeoff, the airplane's engine ceased operating. He said he made a forced landing about a mile from the airport and during the landing the airplane incurred damage to the right wing and fuselage.
An FAA inspector who responded to the accident stated that he checked the airplane, and he could not find any evidence of oil in the engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5668L
- Reported as
- American General AA-1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 0068
- Airframe hours
- 1,731
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-C2C, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Roy V. Dowdy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 6, 2002 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- KBOW · Bartow
- Destination
- KGIF · Winter Haven, FL
- Airport
- BOW · Bartow Municipal Airport
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
- 68
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 400 total · 49 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- KBOW
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 N5668L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.