Van Grouw WHITE LIGHTNING N25WL
6 September 1999 · Greenfield, Indiana, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 6 September 1999 at about 17:00 local time, a Van Grouw WHITE LIGHTNING registered N25WL, operated by Will W. Mathews, was involved in an accident near Greenfield, Indiana, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 17:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Greenfield, Indiana, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.7902, -85.7697
- Aircraft
- Van Grouw WHITE LIGHTNING
- Registration
- N25WL
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Will W. Mathews
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Indianapolis → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI99LA319
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
improper installation of the oil quick drain plug which resulted in oil exhaustion to the engine. A factor was the corn crop encountered during the forced landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was flying the airplane on the first flight after an annual inspection to assure the airplane was operating properly. He reported the engine began losing power during the flight. Unable to maintain altitude the pilot made a forced landing in a corn field. Post accident inspection revealed the quick drain oil plug in the bottom of the oil sump was missing and oil exhaustion had occurred.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 May 1999 | Piper PA-18-L21B | Vincennes, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1999 | Cessna 150L | Garrett, Indiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Nov 1999 | Cessna 210 | Rochester, Indiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Jan 1999 | Beechcraft BE-55 | Elkhart, Indiana, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 26 Jun 1999 | Gillmore BENSON B&M | Greencastle, Indiana, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 1999 | Beechcraft C-23 | Greenwood, Indiana, United States | Duane K. Harrington | Minor injuries | - |