Dwayne Smith RV-6 N725ES

Summary

On 15 April 2007 at about 17:30 local time, a Dwayne Smith RV-6 registered N725ES, operated by Dwayne Smith, was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas, United States. 2 people were 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.

Date

15 April 2007 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Coordinates

32.8203, -97.3597

Aircraft

Dwayne Smith RV-6

Registration

N725ES

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Dwayne Smith

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Arlington → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW07CA093

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power during cruise flight for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 8,633-hour airline transport pilot executed a forced landing to a field after the single-engine experimental airplane he was flying experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot reported in the NTSB Form 6120.1 (Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report) that he departed on a local flight approximately 15 minutes prior to the mishap. Prior to the flight, all systems checked-out normal and the weather was reported as visual flight rules for the duration of the flight. The pilot stated that he was flying at 2,400 feet mean sea level over densely populated urban area when the engine lost power. He added that at the time of loss of engine power the left fuel tank was selected and the tank was two-thirds full, while the right fuel tank was completely full. The pilot stated that he immediately turned-on the fuel boost pump and switched fuel tanks when the engine lost power. His actions did not restore engine power so the pilot established an airspeed of 80 knots and began looking for a suitable landing area. The pilot was able to land the airplane in a vacant field with full flaps in a wings level attitude with the tail wheel touching down first. The main landing gear subsequently "gave way and collapsed" allowing the airplane to come to rest in the upright position. The pilot and his passenger were able to exit the airplane unassisted and received no injuries. The airplane sustained structural damage to the right wing and main landing gear. The weather near the accident site was reported as wind from 330 degrees at 5 knots, clear skies, 10 miles visibility, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.02 inches of Mercury. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.