- Date
- July 29, 1988, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Dubuque, IA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N131RDShirlan Dickey E-RACER
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 11, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880729028359A
- Case key
- 34617
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
At a fuel stop in Dubuque, IA the PIC purchased fuel for the final leg of his flt to oshkosh. After a pre-flt chk and subsequent eng runup, the PIC took the active rwy and commenced a takeoff roll. The lift off and initial climb went without difficulty until the acft attained 200 ft altitude. The PIC stated that the eng quit suddenly and without warning. With no clear spot ahead to make the forced landing, the PIC turned 180 degrees in an attempt to land back on the rwy. During the descent the PIC attempted a restart which failed. Unable to reach the rwy the acft touched down in a grassy area adjacent to the rwy. The nose gear collapsed, followed by total gear collapse. The acft slid to a stop. Subsequent insp of the acft revealed a shorted ignition system, originating in a electric tach. In his accident rpt the PIC stated that electrical system redundancy was now a high priority.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N131RD
- Reported as
- Shirlan Dickey E-RACER
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- ER-1
- Airframe hours
- 91
- Engine
- Buick V-8, 240 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Shirlan Dickey
- Registered owner
- K Shirlan Dickey
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 3, 1988 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- Dubuque, IA
- Destination
- Oshkosh, WI
- Airport
- DBQ · Dubuque, runway 31, 3,200 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,371 total · 91 in this make and model · 1,371 as pilot in command · 55 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 11 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DBQ
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 N131RD · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.