- Date
- September 10, 1989, 18:17 local (22:17 UTC)
- Place
- Allaire Airport, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N31549Woods Formula VEE SL-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890910034159A
- Case key
- 36244
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
The improper flare and touchdown by the pilot in command while making a forced landing following loss of engine power.
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 shortly after takeoff, at an estimated 50 to 75 feet above the ground, the homebuilt aircraft's engine began running rough. He attempted to troubleshoot and initiated a turn back towards the runway. The engine failed completely at an altitude of about 100 feet. The aircraft landed hard on an airport access road, 'flattened the landing gear...' And skidded into a sandy ditch. The aircraft had been flown on two brief local flights earlier in the day, and both pilots stated that the engine performed normally during those flights. Investigators were not able to determine the cause of the loss of engine power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N31549
- Reported as
- Woods Formula VEE SL-1 (FORMULA VE)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Airframe hours
- 132
- Engine
- Volkswagen AUTO ENGINE, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Richard Leonard
- Registered owner
- Charles Terry
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 15, 1989 · 32 hours before
- Departed
- BLM · Allaire Airport, NJ
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 906 total · 32 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft unknown
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Observed at
- WRI, 15 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.