Amateur-built SCAMP accident near Edwardsville, Illinois, April 24, 1983
On April 24, 1983 at about 6:20 pm local time, a amateur-built SCAMP, registered N15RV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Edwardsville, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 24, 1983 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Edwardsville, Illinois
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SCAMP
- Registration
- N15RV · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS ON A TEST FLT IN A HOMEBUILT ACFT WITH ONLY 3.7 HRS TOTAL FLT TIME. WHILE IN A FULL POWER CLIMB FROM 1000 TO 2000 FT AGL, HE NOTICED BLACK SMOKE COMING FROM THE LEFT EXHAUST STACKS. THE POWER WAS REDUCED TO A CRUISE SETTING, AND REPORTEDLY, THERE WAS AN ALMOST INSTANT LOSS OF POWER WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING VERY ROUGH. THE PLT STATED THAT HE TRIED FULL POWER AGAIN, BUT THE ENGINE QUIT. DURING A FORCED LANDING IN A WET FIELD, THE NOSE GEAR SEPARATED AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER. AN EXAM OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THE EXHAUST STACKS AND SPARK PLUGS CONTAINED DEPOSITS OF BLACK SOOT AND THE GASCOLAPOSA CARBURETOR THAT REPORTEDLY HAD A HISTORY OF ICING, BUT ICING WAS NOT VERIFIED.
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: 233 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 205 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 20, 1983; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen 1834 CC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3LF Litchfield IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 18 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.