- Date
- August 10, 2014, 12:20 local (19:20 UTC)
- Place
- North Plains, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N43AZNelson RV 3M
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Loss of engine power (partial)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20140810014739A
- Case key
- 89842
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 partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons which resulted in a landing gear collapse during the precautionary landing to a field.
Findings · 1
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 reported that, after a thorough preflight inspection, he taxied the airplane to the run-up area with the right fuel tank selected. He then switched to the left fuel tank for the run-up, and all indications were normal. He then switched back to the right fuel tank and took off for the personal cross-country flight. When the airplane reached about 200 ft above ground level, he made a left turn. Subsequently, the engine power reduced to about 1,000 rpm. The pilot chose to initiate a precautionary landing to a field during which the landing gear folded up beneath and into the bottom of the wings that resulted in substantial damaged to both wings and the fuselage. Subsequently the airplane slid about 100 yards before coming to rest. Although only about 1 inch of fuel was found in the left-wing fuel tank, and no fuel was found in the right-wing fuel tank, there was evidence that fuel had drained out of the airplane; thus, fuel exhaustion was unlikely. Based on the available information, the reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined.
Factual narrative
On August 10, 2014, about 1220 Pacific daylight time, a Nelson RV-3M airplane, N43AZ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near North Plains, Oregon. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that, after a thorough preflight inspection, he taxied the airplane to the run-up area with the right fuel tank selected. He then switched to the left fuel tank for the run-up process, and all indications were normal. He then switched back to the right fuel tank and took off. When the airplane reached about 200 ft above ground level, he made a left turn, and the engine power reduced to about 1,000 rpm. The pilot chose to initiate a precautionary landing to a field during which the landing gear folded up beneath and into the bottom of the wings that resulted in substantial damaged to both wings and the fuselage. Subsequently, the airplane slid about 100 yards before coming to a rest. One inch of fuel was found in the left-wing fuel tank, and no fuel was found in the right-wing fuel tank. Evidence was found that fuel had drained out of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N43AZ
- Reported as
- Nelson RV 3M
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 11107
- Built
- 1991
- Airframe hours
- 1,118
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 E2D, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 5, 2014 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- 1OR4 · North Plains, OR
- Destination
- 5S9 · Estacada, OR
- Airport
- 1OR4 · North Plains Gliderport, runway 09, 2,000 × 200 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 10, 2013
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 339 total · 30 in this make and model · 273 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- HIO, 5 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 5, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.