Amateur-built DA5B accident near Odessa, Texas, August 21, 2008
On August 21, 2008 at about 1:00 pm local time, a amateur-built DA5B, registered N1002W, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Odessa, 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
Failure of the intake manifold when the flexible connectors disconnected from the carburetor after a turbulence encounter. Contributing to the accident was insuitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 2008 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Odessa, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DA5B
- Registration
- N1002W · no longer on the register · serial 06
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed on a 42-nautical-mile cross-country flight in his homebuilt single-place experimental aircraft and was in cruise flight when he encountered turbulence and the engine quit. The pilot reported that he encountered rough air at his cruise altitude of 4000 feet and decided to descend to 3800 feet for smoother air. As he began the descent the engine began to run rough and then quit. During the forced landing the airplane struck a fence and trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, landing gear, and empannage. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector, during an on scene investigation, found that the carburetor had separated from the intake manifold at the flexible rubber couplings.
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
- Turbulence encounter during enroute (cruise)
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel distribution › Failure
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 150 hours in all; 53 in this make and model
- Last flight review: January 20, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: sngl
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 53 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 30, 2008; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 867 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen CONVERSION (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KODO Odessa TX at 12:45 pm
- Destination: E01 Monahans TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from KODO
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 N1002W 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.