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).
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 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 20, 2002 · about 7:30 pm local time · cases in 2002
- Place
- Kemmerer, Wyoming · Kemmerer Municipal · cases near this airport · 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N84RL on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B1A 17 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Kemmerer Municipal · nearest airport
- Elko Regional · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Wyoming 777 since 1982 · 108 in the last ten years
- Wyoming 3,234 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN02LA027.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.