- Date
- June 4, 2003, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Rhinebeck, NY
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4929Palen Avro-504K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-25
- FAA report
- 20030604030289A
- Case key
- 57131
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 total loss of engine power during the initial climb for undetermined reasons.
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
During the initial climb, about 50 feet agl, the engine began to slowly lose power. The pilot attempted to fly a traffic pattern back to the runway, but on a crosswind leg, the engine lost all power. He then performed a forced landing to a parking lot and impacted terrain. The airplane was powered by a Le Rhone Type J, nine-cylinder rotary engine; which was manufactured about 1914. Examination of the wreckage by an FAA inspector did not reveal pre-impact mechanical malfunctions. However, the inspector was unable to rotate the propeller due to cylinder impact damage. Fuel remained in the airplane, and was absent of debris.
Factual narrative
On June 4, 2003, about 1300 eastern daylight time, a homebuilt Avro-504K, N4929, was substantially damaged during a forced landing, following a loss of engine power after takeoff from Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome (NY94), Rhinebeck, New York. The certificated commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot reported that during the initial climb from the north runway, about 50 feet agl, the engine began to slowly lose power. The pilot attempted to fly a traffic pattern back to the runway, but on a crosswind leg, the engine lost all power. He then performed a forced landing to a parking lot. During the landing, the left wing and engine struck the ground. The pilot further stated that the airplane was powered by a Le Rhone Type J, nine-cylinder rotary engine. The engine was manufactured about 1914.
An initial examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector did not reveal pre-impact mechanical malfunctions. However, the inspector was unable to rotate the propeller due to cylinder impact damage. He recovered a fuel sample of the 100LL/Mogas combination from the wreckage. The fuel was clear and absent of visible contamination. The inspector added that two mixture controls were used to control rpm, but there was no placarded data for the position of the controls.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4929
- Reported as
- Palen Avro-504K
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- HAC1
- Airframe hours
- 188
- Engine
- Le Rhone Type J, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Rhinebeck Aerodrome Museum
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 17, 2002 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- NY94 · Rhinebeck, NY
- Airport
- NY94 · Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, runway N, 2,200 × 75 ft, dirt
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
- 59
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- May 6, 2002
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 4,614 total · 35 in this make and model · 4,479 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- POU, 20 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.
Other investigations on N4929 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.