Stinson 108 N6642M

Summary

On 9 July 2019 at about 20:20 local time, a Stinson 108 registered N6642M was involved in an accident near Klamath Falls, Oregon, 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

9 July 2019 at 20:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Klamath Falls (LMT)

Coordinates

42.1328, -121.7197

Aircraft

Stinson 108

Registration

N6642M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1948

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Klamath Falls → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19LA207

Nobody was injured.

The mechanic’s failure to identify an engine performance issue, which led to a partial loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to operate the airplane with a known mechanical deficiency.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had departed on a cross-country flight. About 1,000 ft above ground level, the engine lost partial power. The pilot made a forced landing in an open field, during which the left wing sustained substantial damage as it contacted the ground. The airplane had a recurring engine performance deficiency that the pilot was aware of, and he used a temporary fix to work around the issue. The mechanic who performed maintenance on the engine before the accident thought that the issue involved the carburetor. Postaccident examination of the carburetor revealed no malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed multiple incorrectly set valve clearances and multiple cylinders with lower-than-acceptable compression. Thus, the mechanic who performed maintenance on the engine failed to identify the engine’s out-of-adjustment valves or the low-cylinder compression.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.