Amateur-built Vans RV-6 accident near Longmont, Colorado, April 22, 2005
On April 22, 2005 at about 5:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Vans RV-6, registered N345JE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Longmont, Colorado. It was a personal flight 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 loss of engine power due to oil starvation. A contributing factor was the contamination in the inverted oil system's separator.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 2005 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Longmont, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Vans RV-6
- Registration
- N345JE · registry record · serial 20847
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While descending to an airport for a fuel stop, the engine started to vibrate and subsequently, lost total power. The pilot initiated a forced landing, and the airplane came to rest upright in a field approximately 3 miles from the airport. Prior to the flight, the engine oil and filter were changed. During preflight, the pilot noted 6 quarts of oil in the engine. Examination of the engine revealed approximately 3 quarts of oil in the engine. All four connecting rod journals and connecting rod caps and straps displayed discoloration and heat signatures consistent with oil starvation. The inverted oil system's separator revealed a black residue in the unit which also partially blocked the separator ports. According to the engine manufacturer's service instruction, the loss of oil from the breather fitting could be caused by an excessive amount of residue in the oil separator and oil line. The instruction recommends that the oil system be disconnected from the engine and flushed with a petroleum solvent every 300 hours of operation. No logbooks entries were noted for compliance with the service instruction; however, no entry was required by Federal Aviation Regulations.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 35,000 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 25,000 as pilot in command; 5,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 836 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 1, 2004; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTF Bountiful UT at 9:20 am
- Destination: 2V2 Longmont CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N345JE the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.