- Date
- October 31, 1987, 09:50 local (15:50 UTC)
- Place
- Vinton, IA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N76EMMerchant Pitts S-1S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 7, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871031065409A
- Case key
- 34469
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
The plt was rprtd to be on a maint ferry flt to another state. He rprtd that before the flt, he topped off the fuel tank & that the preflt, takeoff & departure were normal. Due to low clouds, he leveled off at aprx 2000' AGL. Shortly thereafter, the eng RPM began to gradually decrease until the eng stopped running. An emerg landing was made in an open field, but the acft nosed over & was dmgd. During an exam of the acft fuel sys, dirty residue was found in the fuel filter bowl & debris was found in the fuel filter element & fuel injector control valve.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N76EM
- Reported as
- Merchant Pitts S-1S
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 440
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jerry Merchant
- Last inspection
- AAIP · June 20, 1987 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- VTI
- Airport
- VTI
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,600 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CID, 24 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.