Amateur-built Avid Flyer MK IV accident near Lake Jackson, Texas, July 12, 2008
On July 12, 2008 at about 6:45 pm local time, a amateur-built Avid Flyer MK IV, registered N583AF, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Lake Jackson, Texas. 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 a connecting rod failure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 2008 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Jackson, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Avid Flyer MK IV
- Registration
- N583AF · no longer on the register · serial 993195MK4
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while in cruise flight at an altitude of 1,300 feet, the engine started to lose power and "created a rattling sound". The pilot tried to return to his departure airfield but was unable; and elected to perform a forced landing on a dirt road. During the landing the aircraft's nose gear collapsed and the aircraft came to stop against a fence post. An inspection of the engine by the aircraft owner revealed that one of the connecting rods had failed.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Not specified
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,002 hours in all; 940 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1,002 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,546.9 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 1, 2008
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 2200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LBX Angleton/Lake J TX at 5:30 pm
- Destination: 37R Hitchcock TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KLBX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N583AF 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.