Amateur-built BD-4 accident near Kemmerer, Wyoming, February 20, 2002
On February 20, 2002 at about 7:30 pm local time, a amateur-built BD-4, registered N84RL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kemmerer, Wyoming (Kemmerer Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff, which resulted in a collision with a snowbank. A contributing factor was the high crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 20, 2002 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kemmerer, Wyoming · Kemmerer Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BD-4
- Registration
- N84RL · registry record · serial 84
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After liftoff, a quartering headwind pushed the airplane to the left side of the runway. The left main gear struck a snow bank and airspeed dropped. The pilot felt he could not clear obstacles ahead and decided to land in the snow. The left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing then struck the snow. According to the pilot, the wind was from 260 degrees at 20 knots when he started his takeoff on runway 22.
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: 479 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 439 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 2, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 187 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 2, 2001; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EMM Kemmerer WY at 7:30 pm
- Destination: EKO Elko NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway EMM, 2,850 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; a few clouds at 900 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from EVW, 51 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 DEN02LA027.