Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Pangborn Memorial Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Wenatchee, Washington 98801
Saturday, July 26, 2003 11:30 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The experimental aircraft had just departed runway 30, and was about 400 feet above the ground, when it experienced a complete loss of engine power. The pilot then turned toward an empty field where he was going to attempt an engine-out forced landing, but he was unable to reach the field, and the aircraft impacted an orchard of young apple trees just short of the selected field. A post-accident inspection of the aircraft revealed that the screw holding the valve retaining faceplate on the Airflow Performance Purge Valve Assembly had come loose, allowing the valve mechanism to separate from its housing. It was further determined that the subject retaining screw had not been re-safetied after the builder removed the manufacturer-installed safety wire in order to change the angular configuration of the purge valve/flow divider assembly. A review of the Airflow Performance Installation and Service Manual revealed a narrative section stating that if removal of the valve is necessary, to make sure that the purge valve stop/faceplate screw is re-safetied.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Fuel starvation following the separation of a purge valve assembly as a result of the builders failure to re-safety the face retaining/stop screw on the fuel vapor purge valve after the safety wire on the subject screw was removed in order to change the angular mounting position of the valve. Factors include an apple orchard near the edge of the field that pilot was trying to glide to.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/26/2003 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1130 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | Wenatchee |
| Event State | WASHINGTON |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 98801 |
| Event Date Year | 2003 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 472356N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1201225W |
| Event Location Airport | Pangborn Memorial Airport |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | EAT |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0.75 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 300 |
| Airport Elevation | 1249 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | -- |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | -- |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | -- |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 27 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 50 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | -- |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Light and Variable |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 2 |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 14679 |
| NTSB Notification Source | Faa Operations Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 26 2003 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1410 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 30 2003 8:55AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\JOHB |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Spokane FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N272JT |
| NTSB Number | SEA03LA154 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Bollinger |
| Aircraft Model | RV-6A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 23975 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1850 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Feb 14 2003 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 102 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Jeff C. Bollinger |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Spokane |
| Aircraft Owner State | WA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99223 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | L. Thomas Bollinger |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | Quincy |
| Operator State | WA |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 98848 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | EAT |
| Departure City | Wenatchee |
| Departure State | WA |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1127 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | S10 |
| Destination City | Chelan |
| Destination State | WA |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Takeoff |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Oct 6 2003 12:01PM |
| User who most recently changed record | STAM |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 30 |
| Runway Length | 5500 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |