- Date
- August 12, 2008, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Puyallup, WA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N14JAAnglin RV-6
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern downwind: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20080812843029A
- Case key
- 68684
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 complete loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident were hidden obstructions (tree stumps) in the field of long grass within which the pilot executed his forced landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was just turning onto the downwind leg when the airplane's engine suddenly lost power without warning. The pilot was unable to get the engine to restart and he selected what looked like a level field of tall grass for his emergency forced landing. Just after touching down in the field, the airplane hit a number of tree stumps that had been hidden by the tall grass. The impact sequence resulted in extensive damage to the fuselage, wings, and landing gear. A post-accident inspection of the engine, fuel system, and air induction system determined that the fuel tanks were nearly full, and that there were no apparent anomalies that would have contributed to a loss of engine power.
Factual narrative
The pilot, who was conducting a flight in the local traffic pattern, was just turning onto the downwind leg when the airplane's engine suddenly quit without warning. Being unable to get the engine to restart, he selected what looked to him like a nearby level field of tall grass for his emergency forced landing. Just after touching down in the field, the airplane hit a number of tree stumps that had been hidden by the tall grass. The impact sequence resulted in extensive damage to the fuselage, wings, and landing gear. A post-accident inspection of the engine, fuel system, and air induction system determined that the fuel tanks were nearly full, and that there were no apparent anomalies that would have contributed to a loss of engine power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N14JA
- Reported as
- Anglin RV-6
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 20629
- Airframe hours
- 765
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-B1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Joseph L. Hoskins, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · May 1, 2008
- Departed
- KPLU · Puyallup, WA
- Destination
- KPLU
- Airport
- KPLU · Pierce County Airport
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
- 78
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 5,544 total · 121 in this make and model · 6 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.