- Date
- March 27, 2008, 12:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Aurora, OR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N65MKKenney RV6
- Defining event
- Enroute-climb to cruise: Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20080327014399A
- Case key
- 67730
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
A propeller malfunction for undetermined reasons.
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 departed on a test flight for a propeller installation. The pilot said that during the flight, a malfunction occurred and "the propeller was free-wheeling." The pilot force-landed the airplane in soft, muddy terrain and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot did not provide any information regarding the circumstances of the propeller failure following the accident and the reason for the malfunction was not determined.
Factual narrative
On March 27, 2008, about 1230 Pacific daylight time, a Kenney RV-6, N65MK, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing near Aurora, Oregon. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot departed Aurora State Airport, Aurora, Oregon, about 1220.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, a propeller had recently been installed on the airplane and the pilot was conducting a test flight. The propeller was manufactured by a local propeller company, and the pilot was a co-owner of the company. During the climb to cruise, a malfunction occurred and the propeller was freewheeling. The pilot performed a forced landing in a field; however, the field was covered in water and the ground was soft. After the left landing gear collapsed during the landing roll, the top surface of the right wing was wrinkled and the left wing leading edge was damaged.
The day of the accident, the pilot contacted the Safety Board investigator and indicated that the propeller had been installed and he was conducting a test flight. He stated that the propeller was an older model that was equipped with a new set of propeller blades. At the time of the conversation, he did not know why the malfunction occurred. Following this conversation, the Safety Board investigator and FAA inspector attempted to contact the pilot multiple times regarding the circumstances of the accident, but did not receive a response. The pilot did not submit the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the Pilot Operator Report.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65MK
- Reported as
- Kenney RV6
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 25253
- Engine
- Textron Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Larry Morgan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- UAO · Aurora, OR
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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,700 ft broken
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.38 inHg
- Observed at
- UAO, 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.