Hodges Samuel J RV-7A N462WP

Summary

On 7 August 2011 at about 18:32 local time, a Hodges Samuel J RV-7A registered N462WP was involved in an accident near Paducah, Kentucky, United States. 2 people were 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

7 August 2011 at 18:32

Classification

Accident

Location

Paducah, Kentucky, United States

Nearest airport

West Kentucky Airpark (5KY3)

Coordinates

36.9675, -88.5650

Aircraft

Hodges Samuel J RV-7A

Registration

N462WP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Paducah → Paducah

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11LA444

1 person had minor injuries.

A partial loss of engine power during the initial climb for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The experimental amateur-built airplane was powered by a fuel-injected, automotive-conversion, rotary engine. Following an uneventful preflight inspection and run-up check of the engine, the pilot departed on the accident flight. During the initial climb, about 200 to 300 feet above the ground, the engine began to "stumble" and lost partial power. The pilot responded by selecting the alternate engine control computer and increasing the richness of the mixture, both to no avail. He subsequently performed a forced landing to a nearby road and the airplane struck a mailbox and a ditch during the landing roll. A postaccident test run of the engine was successful, and during 8 months of subsequent troubleshooting by the pilot during the process of rebuilding the airplane, the engine anomaly encountered on the accident flight could not be duplicated or definitively determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.