Amateur-built AVID FLYER accident near Chitina, Alaska, May 4, 1997
On May 4, 1997 at about 3:00 am local time, a amateur-built AVID FLYER, registered N525BB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chitina, Alaska (Chitna airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
improper overhaul of the engine, which resulted in a seized piston and resultant loss of engine power. Rough terrain in the emergency landing area was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 1997 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Chitina, Alaska · Chitna · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AVID FLYER
- Registration
- N525BB · registry record · serial 525
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was departing in a homebuilt airplane from a remote airstrip. After departure, the airplane climbed to about 250 feet above the ground, and then the engine suddenly lost power. The pilot performed a 180 degree turn back toward the runway, but landed in rough terrain, just short of the runway. The engine was overhauled 5 hours before the accident, and one piston was replaced with an oversize piston. Following the accident, an examination of the engine revealed the oversize piston was seized in the cylinder. The seized piston was found to be the same size as the cylinder bore.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,718 hours in all; 405 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 260 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 20, 1997; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,085 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 618 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CXC at 10:00 pm
- Destination: 15Z Mccarthy AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 2,850 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.