Amateur-built VANS RV-10 accident near Marietta, Ohio, September 27, 2011
On September 27, 2011 at about 11:06 pm local time, a 2011 amateur-built VANS RV-10, registered N499RV, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (descent) near Marietta, Ohio (Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Arpt airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight engine fire and loss of engine power due to an improperly installed fuel injector nozzle during a recent engine overhaul.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2011 · about 11:06 pm local time
- Place
- Marietta, Ohio · Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Arpt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VANS RV-10, built 2011
- Registration
- N499RV · no longer on the register · serial 40373
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After completing basic flight maneuvers in the experimental amateur-built airplane, the pilot decided to return to the departure airport. During cruise descent, he heard a loud bang from the engine compartment, and oil began covering the windscreen. The pilot-rated passenger reported that there was a sudden "explosion" from the engine compartment that sounded similar to a "12 gauge double barrel shotgun." The pilot relinquished control to the pilot-rated passenger, who had more experience in the accident airplane, and he subsequently made a forced landing to a nearby wooded area. A postaccident engine examination revealed significant heat and fire damage concentrated at the aft right side of the engine near the No. 5 engine cylinder. The fuel nozzle for the No. 5 engine cylinder was found disconnected from its corresponding cylinder head. The fuel injector line remained connected to the fuel nozzle, but the threaded portion of the fuel nozzle was not engaged to the cylinder head and could be lifted away from the cylinder head by hand. Further disassembly of the engine revealed that no internal component failures or mechanical anomalies occurred. The experimental engine, which had been modified from the original engine manufacturer's design specifications, had been field-overhauled about 20 hours before the accident flight. It is likely that the disengaged fuel nozzle for the No. 5 engine cylinder allowed fuel to be introduced directly into the engine compartment and resulted in the in-flight engine fire/explosion when the fuel was ignited by hot engine exhaust and caused the heat and fire damage near the No. 5 engine cylinder. Additionally, the No. 5 engine cylinder would not have developed proper compression without the fuel injector nozzle engaged in the cylinder head. A postaccident review of the maintenance records found no history of unresolved airworthiness issues or any maintenance performed on the fuel injection system since the engine overhaul.
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
What happened, in order
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (descent)
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (descent) defining event
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during enroute (descent)
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel injector nozzle › Incorrect service/maintenance
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Installation › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 714 hours in all; 0.3 in this make and model; 113 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 648 as pilot in command; 430 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 26, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 20 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 3, 2011; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming (Modified) IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
- Operator: Veracity Aviation, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: PKB Parkersburg WV at 10:46 pm
- Destination: PKB Parkersburg WV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 7,240 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from PKB, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.