Johnson Leonard G COZY MK-IV N637PS

Summary

On 5 November 2008 at about 15:45 local time, a Johnson Leonard G COZY MK-IV registered N637PS, operated by Leonard G. Johnson, was involved in an accident near Osceola, Missouri, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 November 2008 at 15:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Osceola, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Osceola Municipal Airport, MO (3MO)

Coordinates

38.0402, -93.6906

Aircraft

Johnson Leonard G COZY MK-IV

Registration

N637PS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Leonard G. Johnson

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St Charles Muni → Amarillo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09LA051

1 person was seriously injured.

A total loss of engine power due to an obstruction of airflow as a result of the pilot's inadvertent actuation of the landing brake.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was flying his homebuilt airplane on a cross-country flight at 5,500 feet mean sea level when he encountered some turbulence. The engine began to overheat and lose power and the pilot diverted to a nearby airport. The pilot could not make the runway and landed on a grassy, unimproved area on the airport. The airplane struck a pole, crossed a road, struck a second pole, and came to rest inverted. Both wings and a portion of the nose were separated from the airplane and the pilot was seriously injured. The pilot stated that he thought he had inadvertently actuated the landing brake in the turbulence, which blocked airflow to the engine and caused the engine to overheat and lose power. According to the builders manual, deployment of the landing brake can disrupt airflow to the engine and cause overheating. The airplane had been modified from the original design, replacing the mechanical landing brake system with an electrical one.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.