Amateur-built POLLIWAGEN accident near Chesterfield, Virginia, August 6, 1991
On August 6, 1991 at about 2:00 pm local time, a amateur-built POLLIWAGEN, registered N256PW, was destroyed in an accident near Chesterfield, Virginia (Chesterfield City). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PARTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER CAUSED BY A MISALIGNED ROCKER ARM SPRING RESULTING IN A REDUCTION OF EXHAUST VALVE OPENING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1991 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chesterfield, Virginia · Chesterfield City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built POLLIWAGEN
- Registration
- N256PW · no longer on the register · serial 1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING ONE OF A SERIES OF FLIGHT TESTS OF HIS NEW HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFT. AFTER PERFORMING HIS PRETAKEOFF ENGINE RUN-UP, HE STARTED HIS TAKE-OFF ROLL. THE ENGINE PERFORMANCE SEEMED BETTER THAN USUAL UP TO AN ALTITUDE OF 200 FEET. THE ENGINE THEN STARTED TO LOSE POWER AND THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO DESCEND. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK SOME TREE TOPS AND CRASHED TO THE GROUND, COMING TO REST, INVERTED. A POSTFLIGHT INVESTIGATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER THREE EXHAUST VALVE SPRING HAD SLIPPED FROM ITS POSITION CAUSING A PARTIAL REDUCTION OF POWER.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 479 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 414 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 17, 1990; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen 411/914 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from RIC, 15 miles away
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.