Amateur-built Avid Mark IV accident near Hibbing, Minnesota, October 21, 2011
On October 21, 2011 at about 9:15 pm local time, a amateur-built Avid Mark IV, registered N43280, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Hibbing, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The improper installation of a hose clamp, which resulted in an oil line rupture and subsequent loss of engine oil pressure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 2011 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Hibbing, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Avid Mark IV
- Registration
- N43280 · registry record · serial 1176D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during the local flight the engine lost oil pressure and the cockpit began to fill with smoke. He immediately reduced engine power to idle and performed a forced landing to a nearby field. The airplane collided with a barbed wire fence during the landing roll and subsequently nosed over. The fuselage, right wing, and vertical stabilizer were substantially damaged. A postaccident inspection revealed that the oil supply line to the oil cooler had ruptured, which allowed oil to come in contact with the engine's hot exhaust, producing smoke. The rubber, automobile-style oil line had failed immediately adjacent to its respective oil cooler inlet fitting. The hose clamp used to secure the oil line to the inlet fitting was not properly positioned over the fitting, which allowed the unsupported hose clamp to abrade through the oil line.
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 defining event
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during enroute
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng oil sys › Incorrect service/maintenance
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng oil sys › Failure
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › (general) › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 497 hours in all; 365 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 497 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 10, 2011
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 483 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, December 3, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 2200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KEVM Eveleth MN at 9:00 pm
- Destination: KEVM Eveleth MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KHIB, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.