Oliver Robert K OLIVER SERIES 6 N151RF

Summary

On 25 August 2023 at about 00:00 local time, a Oliver Robert K OLIVER SERIES 6 registered N151RF was involved in an accident near Big Delta, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 August 2023 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Big Delta, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

64.1026, -145.7869

Aircraft

Oliver Robert K OLIVER SERIES 6

Registration

N151RF

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Delta Junction → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC23LA070

2 people had minor injuries.

A partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was about 10 to 15 minutes from his destination when the airplane sustained a partial loss of engine power. He pulled the carburetor heat on but power was not restored. He moved the throttle control from idle to full power and the engine would only increase to about 25% with full throttle. The pilot decided to make a forced landing along a treeless mountain ridgeline. During landing, a strong gust of wind lifted the airplane’s right wing and subsequently the left wing and engine impacted terrain and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. After the accident, control continuity was established between the cockpit and engine. Although both carburetor bowls were empty of fuel, when disconnected the fuel line had fuel drain from both sides of the disconnection, consistent with fuel being fed to the engine at the time of operation. Thumb compression was established for all four cylinders. The top spark plugs all appeared to be normal; the lower spark plugs in the two right cylinders had oil in them, as did the forward right cylinder, which contained about a cup of oil. Small amounts of water were drained from the two left cylinders. The wreckage was stored unprotected outside on a trailer buried in snow and the engine was laying on it side which would account for the oil and water found in the engine. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Although weather conditions were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power, the pilot reported application of carburetor heat after the power loss with no effect. Accordingly, the reason for the power loss could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.