Roger A Dalke E.B. JENNY N59486

Summary

On 11 August 2007 at about 14:05 local time, a Roger A Dalke E.B. JENNY registered N59486 was involved in an accident near Wakefield, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one 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

11 August 2007 at 14:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Wakefield, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

37.2500, -76.5000

Aircraft

Roger A Dalke E.B. JENNY

Registration

N59486

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wakefield → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA07LA132

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot/owner's inadequate maintenance which resulted in a radiator leak, a loss of engine coolant, the engine overheating, and partial loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that after takeoff, he climbed to an altitude of 1,000 feet, and as he scanned the airplane's gauges, he noticed that the engine outlet coolant temperature had climbed to the red line (220 degrees F). He said he then checked the engine inlet coolant temperature and he noticed that it was still in the green (180 degrees F), and then checked the oil temperature and noticed that it was normal. As he continued the flight he said that he watched the gauges more closely and a few minutes later the inlet coolant temperature began to climb to the red line, while the coolant outlet temperature dropped to zero. He said that at that point he knew he was in trouble, and in an attempt not to experience a total engine failure he made a precautionary landing to a cotton field. He said the cotton plants were high and during the landing the airplane flipped over on its back, and stopped in a distance of less than 200 feet. The pilot said that at no time did the engine cease operating. An FAA inspector conducted a postcrash examination of the airframe, the engine and accessories, and the examination revealed that the radiator had incurred no accident related damage, however, there was a leak at the soldered radiator drain fitting.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.