Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Delta Junction Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Delta Junction, Alaska 99737
Sunday, September 3, 2006 21:00 AKD
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The commercial certificated pilot was accumulating flight hours on an experimental airplane for the builder, as part of a Title 14, CFR Part 91 flight test period to comply with the experimental type certificate. The airplane's engine was an automotive, Ford 3.8L, V-6. It was equipped with an electronic ignition system. After 1.25 hours of flight time, the pilot was on final approach for landing, and when he turned on the airplane's landing light, the engine lost power. He was unable to restart the engine and descended into high vegetation, about 200 feet short of the runway. The airplane received structural damage to the wings and landing gear. An FAA inspector examined the airplane at the accident site. He found an electrical short in the landing light system. The inspector indicated that the electrical short also disabled the electronic ignition system on the engine.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
An electrical short that disabled the electronic ignition system of the airplane's engine during the final approach phase for landing, which resulted in a forced landing and collision with high vegetation. A factor contributing to the accident was the failure of the pilot to maintain proper altitude in the landing pattern to reach the runway during the forced landing.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/3/2006 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 2100 |
| Event Time Zone | -- |
| Event City | Delta Junction |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99737 |
| Event Date Year | 2006 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 640302N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1454302W |
| Event Location Airport | Delta Junction |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | D66 |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0.04 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 1150 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 2053 Atlantic Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 138 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | PABI |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1277 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 10 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | ADT |
| Lighting Conditions | Dusk |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 6500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | -- |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 13 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 3 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 75 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 3 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.05 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 1 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 21405 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Regional Operations Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 3 2006 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 29 2007 12:24PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\lema |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | FAA-AL-FAI FSDO 01 |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N5090F |
| NTSB Number | ANC06LA130 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | McNabb |
| Aircraft Model | Bushmaster |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 001 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2500 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Conditional |
| Date of Last Inspection | Aug 1 2006 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 10 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Adam McNabb |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Delta Junction |
| Aircraft Owner State | AK |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99737 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | Timothy D. Smithen |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | Delta Junction |
| Operator State | AK |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 99737 |
| 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 | D66 |
| Departure City | Delta Junction |
| Departure State | AK |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1920 |
| Departure Time Zone | ADT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | -- |
| Destination City | -- |
| Destination State | -- |
| Destination Country | -- |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach - VFR pattern - final approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Apr 12 2007 9:51PM |
| User who most recently changed record | STAM |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 07 |
| Runway Length | 2400 |
| Runway Width | 50 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |