Amateur-built RV-7A accident near Augusta, Missouri, October 13, 2003
On October 13, 2003 at about 3:28 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-7A, registered N707DD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Augusta, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the supercharger and alternator drive belts which resulted in foreign object damage to the valve timing system and subsequent loss of engine power, and the unsuitable terrain encountered by the pilot during the forced landing. A factor was the soft terrain where the forced landing was executed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 13, 2003 · about 3:28 pm local time
- Place
- Augusta, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-7A
- Registration
- N707DD · registry record · serial 70374
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged when it nosed over during a forced landing following a complete loss of engine power. The pilot reported that the airplane's nose landing gear dug into the soft sandy soil during the forced landing, causing the airplane to nose over. The airplane was powered by a Subaru automobile engine converted for aircraft use. A postaccident examination revealed that the plastic timing-belt cover and the belts for the alternator and supercharger were broken. Pieces of the alternator belt were found within the remaining portion of the timing-belt cover. The engine intake and exhaust valves had struck the top of the cylinders.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 90 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 22, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 89 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 2003; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru 2.5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SUS St Louis MO at 3:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from SUS, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.