Amateur-built RV10 accident near Chouteau, Oklahoma, July 21, 2023
On July 21, 2023 at about 6:50 pm local time, a 2009 amateur-built RV10, registered N730WL, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Chouteau, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power as a result of a failed positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve and a subsequent impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2023 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Chouteau, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV10 NO SERIES, built 2009
- Registration
- N730WL · registry record · serial 40227
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The amateur-built experimental airplane was in cruise flight when the pilot noticed that a red warning light in the cockpit was illuminated. The “oil pressure gauge” was “pegged” at 320°F. The pilot immediately reduced engine power and initiated a glide profile to “take all the load off the engine” so it could cool down. While setting up for the approach to land at the closest airport, the engine “seized up” and sustained a total loss of power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a flat grass field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. Postaccident examination of the experimental automotive engine revealed that the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve had failed. The pilot reported that the failed PCV valve caused the engine to suck “too much oil” out of the crankcase and into the intake section. He additionally reported that over the “long slow climb” to the cruise altitude of 6,000 ft, this caused the oil level to get “too low,” eventually causing the oil to overheat, and that once the oil overheated, the engine then stopped operating.
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
- Attempted remediation/recovery during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng liquid cooling › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 178 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 100 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 26, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 240 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 2, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: General Motors LS-3 (V-8) (piston); 296 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKO Muskogee-Davis Regional Airport OK at 6:42 pm
- Destination: H71 Pryor OK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,600 ft; scat
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 1:35 pm from KGCM, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KGCM 211835Z AUTO 32003KT 10SM BKN016 OVC022 24/23 A3001 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on April 18, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Additional Information - Airplane | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Additional Information - Pilot | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 6 | N730WL - ADS-B Data (Google Earth - .Kmz File) | map file | Download |
| 7 | N730WL - ADS-B Data (Microsoft Excel - .Xlsx File) | spreadsheet | Download |
| 8 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.