Amateur-built RV 4 accident near Boerne, Texas, October 28, 2014
On October 28, 2014 at about 7:33 pm local time, a 2013 amateur-built RV 4, registered N70PM, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Boerne, Texas (John Henry Key airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined, because post accident examination did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 28, 2014 · about 7:33 pm local time
- Place
- Boerne, Texas · John Henry Key · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV 4, built 2013
- Registration
- N70PM · no longer on the register · serial 2748
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was flying his experimental, amateur-built airplane at an altitude between 500 and 800 ft above ground level when several witnesses heard the engine sounds suddenly stop. The airplane then entered a steep bank toward a nearby airstrip, descended, and disappeared from view. The airplane impacted thickly-wooded, rocky terrain and came to rest upright about 100 ft from the edge of the runway. Although the airplane was destroyed by post-crash fire, examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of carburetor icing at cruise power and a potential for serious carburetor icing at glide power; however, it could not be determined if or to what extent the engine may have accumulated carburetor ice.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during maneuvering defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
- Explosion (post-impact) during post (impact)
- Cabin safety event during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,687 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,636 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 16, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 50 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 12, 2014; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 1,825 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 5C1 Boerne TX
- Destination: 5C1 Boerne TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 7:35 pm from K5C1, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.