De Havilland TIGER MOTH DH 82A N9410

Summary

On 12 December 2015 at about 17:00 local time, a De Havilland TIGER MOTH DH 82A registered N9410 was involved in an accident near Modena, New York, 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

12 December 2015 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Modena, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Old Orchard Airpark (2NK9)

Coordinates

41.6628, -74.0744

Aircraft

De Havilland TIGER MOTH DH 82A

Registration

N9410

Category

Airplane

Year built

1940

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Modena → LaGrangeville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA065

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power due to a stuck No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the initial climb after takeoff, the airplane experienced a partial loss of engine power. The pilot attempted to return to the runway; however, the airplane was not able to maintain altitude and struck trees about 1/4 mile from the airport. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the cylinder's exhaust valve was stuck open and that the No. 1 cylinder produced little to no compression when the crankshaft was rotated. The loss of compression on the No. 1 cylinder would have resulted in a partial loss of engine power and airplane's inability to maintain altitude. Disassembly of the left magneto revealed that its breaker spring was fractured, but investigators were unable to determine whether the left magneto failed before or during the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.