- Date
- April 17, 2007, 10:20 local (16:20 UTC)
- Place
- Red Lodge, MT
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N464SBNorth American Aviation Div. T-28C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070417005469A
- Case key
- 65583
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 lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing. Contributing factors were the loss of engine power during takeoff for undetermined reasons, and rough/uneven condition of the 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 stated that he had just departed and had adjusted the engine controls for 36 inches of manifold pressure and 2,400 revolutions per minute for climb. He said that he turned to a north heading when the engine lost power. The pilot said that he attempted to land back at the airport, but ended up landing in an open field. He said the engine separated from the airframe and the empennage partially separated from the fuselage. The pilot said that the engine had been overhauled approximately 20 hours before the accident. The pilot reported that he fueled the airplane on March 14, 2007, with 63 gallons of fuel; he said, "both sides were topped off." He said that on March 21, 2007, he flew the airplane for approximately one hour, and on April 14, 2007, he flew the airplane again for approximately one hour. A postaccident evaluation of the engine was not completed. The reason for the loss of engine power was not determined.
Factual narrative
The pilot said that he had just departed and had adjusted the engine controls for 36 inches of manifold pressure and 2,400 revolutions per minute for climb. He said that he turned to a north heading when the engine lost power. The pilot said that he attempted to land back at the airport, but ended up landing in an open field. He said the engine separated from the airframe and the empennage partially separated from the fuselage.
The pilot said that the engine had been overhauled approximately 20 hours before the accident. The pilot reported that he fueled the airplane on March 14, 2007, with 63 gallons of fuel; he said, "both sides were topped off." He said that on March 21, 2007, he flew the airplane for approximately one hour, and on April 14, 2007, he flew the airplane again for approximately one hour. A postaccident evaluation of the engine was not completed. The reason for the loss of engine power was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N464SB
- Reported as
- North American Aviation Div. T-28C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 140464
- Engine
- Wright R-1820, 1,425 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wallace E. Zook
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- RED · Red Lodge, MT
- Destination
- BIL · Billings, MT
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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 1,065 total · 26 in this make and model · 929 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.