Amateur-built Avid Flyer accident near Cambridge, Nebraska, January 13, 2003
On January 13, 2003 at about 8:34 pm local time, a amateur-built Avid Flyer, registered N248H, was destroyed in an accident near Cambridge, Nebraska (Cambridge Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadvertent stall by the pilot following a total loss of engine power and the seizure of the engine. A factor to the accident was the engine overhaul not performed in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 13, 2003 · about 8:34 pm local time
- Place
- Cambridge, Nebraska · Cambridge Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Avid Flyer
- Registration
- N248H · registry record · serial 248
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed when it impacted terrain during a forced landing. According to the pilot rated passenger, there were no problems with the airplane during the run-up. During initial climb through 200-300 feet above ground level, there was a gradual loss of all engine power. The passenger stated that there was no rotation of the propeller. The pilot then turned the airplane back towards the airport, but they did not have enough altitude to reach the runway. The passenger reported that he did not know if they were stalled but said they were coming down at a steep descent. Examination of the engine revealed that the cylinder walls exhibited scoring consistent with repetitive thermal seizures. The manufacturer recommends that the engine be overhauled every five years or 300 hours. The last entry relating to the engine's conditional inspection stated that the owner understood this recommendation. The engine exceeded the recommended time to be overhauled. The pilot's last logbook entry dated about a year before the accident indicated a total flight time of 242.6 hours, of which 47.4 hours were in the accident aircraft.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 243 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: September 19, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Bombardier Rotax (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CSB Cambridge NE at 8:15 pm
- Destination: CSB
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,099 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MCK, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI03LA052.