- Date
- June 30, 1992, 17:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Homestead, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9667NDofka, Martin F. KR-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920630022639A
- Case key
- 33105
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
Inadvertent stall by the pilot while attempting to return to the airport following loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the loss of power due to a sticking exhaust valve, and failure of the pilot to assure all ignition leads were connected and tightened before the flight.
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
Before the accident flt, the plt was seen working on the eng assy. The flt departed & shortly after takeoff, witnesses heard the eng running rough, & observed the plt bank the acft to return to the arpt. The acft stalled & impacted the ground nose low. According to a detective who examined the acft at the accident site, there was no odor of fuel. Examination of the fuel tank, gascolator (both impact damaged) & carburetor revealed no evidence of fuel. The carburetor was found disconnected from the flexible hose attached to the intake manifold. The fuel selector was in the on position. The propeller was rotated & 3 of the 4 cylinders produced compression. The left rear cylinder did not due to a sticking exhaust valve. Additionally, the rt fwd top ignition lead was disconnected. The threads on the lead & plug were not damaged. Also, several of the ignition leads were finger tight on their respective spark plugs.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9667N
- Reported as
- Dofka, Martin F. KR-2
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1MD1
- Engine
- Volkswagen 2100R-D, 72 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Lee, Eugene D.
- Registered owner
- Lee, Eugene D.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 15, 1991 · 51 hours before
- Departed
- X51
- Airport
- X51 · Homestead General Avtn
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
- 57
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 400 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TMB, 11 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.