- Date
- September 17, 1989, 12:05 local (16:05 UTC)
- Place
- Warwick, NY
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N13WRMaxair XP-503 Drifter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890917035039A
- Case key
- 36245
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
Failure of an engine piston wrist pin bearing.
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 he took off on runway 21, and everything seemed to be normal until the aircraft reached an altitude of 150 to 200 feet above the ground. The pilot stated that he had started a left turn to return to the runway and land when the engine failed completely. The aircraft continued its left turn as it made the emergency descent and collided with an aircraft parked on airport property. Post-accident investigation revealed that a wrist pin bearing had failed, which resulted in the piston seizing and the total loss of engine power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N13WR
- Reported as
- Maxair XP-503 Drifter (XP-503 DRI)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 0006
- Airframe hours
- 130
- Engine
- Rotax 503, 46 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Walter J. Rechsteiner
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 10, 1989 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- N-72 · Warwick, NY
- Airport
- N72 · Warwick
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
- 68
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 30 in this make and model · 1,900 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 900 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SWF, 17 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.