- Date
- August 3, 1991, 07:55 local (11:55 UTC)
- Place
- Gilford, NH
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N245BDLaurent A. Cloutier BD-5B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910803031279A
- Case key
- 36765
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
Engine failure due to a faulty oil pressure relief valve resulting in an emergency landing on unsuitable terrain.
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 lost power after takeoff and made a forced landing on a road. Just prior to touchdown, a car pulled into the planned landing area and the pilot intentionally pulled up to avoid the car. The airplane stalled and hit the road hard, collapsing the landing gear. Post crash examination of the engine disclosed an oil pressure relief valve used to lubricate one of the cylinders was releasing at too high a pressure to adequately lubricate the cylinder which resulted in a stopped engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N245BD
- Reported as
- Laurent A. Cloutier BD-5B
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 3514
- Airframe hours
- 40
- Engine
- Polaris EC65PL01, 82 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Laurent A. Cloutier
- Registered owner
- Laurent A. Cloutier
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · September 7, 1990 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- LCI
- Airport
- LCT · Laconia
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
- 67
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 4,300 total · 3,800 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 3 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LCI, 1 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.