Mechanical & Engine Failure · NTSB CEN09LA196
FRITZ RV3-A — Greencastle, IN
| Date | March 7, 2009 |
| Location | Greencastle, IN |
| Aircraft | FRITZ RV3-A (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Dusk · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Emergency descent Off-field or emergency landing |
| Pilot age | 79 |
| Pilot total time | 1,700 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
A partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons and the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the emergency descent.
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Not specified
- Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-(general)-(general)-Not specified - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
What happened
The airplane was observed descending while banking. A witness said the airplane's engine was "quiet, low RPM." The airplane lost altitude, the bank angle increased to 90 degrees, the engine revved, and the airplane impacted terrain in a nose-down attitude. The pilot reported that he had fuel pressure and engine problems. The wreckage was examined and residual fuel was found. No preimpact anomalies were detected during the examination. Wind conditions at an observation facility about 25 nautical miles from the airport were from 200 degrees at 16 knots, gusting to 23 knots.