Amateur-built RV-7A accident near Paducah, Kentucky, August 7, 2011
On August 7, 2011 at about 6:32 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-7A, registered N462WP, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Paducah, Kentucky (West Kentucky Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power during the initial climb for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2011 · about 6:32 pm local time
- Place
- Paducah, Kentucky · West Kentucky Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-7A
- Registration
- N462WP · registry record · serial 71357
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental amateur-built airplane was powered by a fuel-injected, automotive-conversion, rotary engine. Following an uneventful preflight inspection and run-up check of the engine, the pilot departed on the accident flight. During the initial climb, about 200 to 300 feet above the ground, the engine began to "stumble" and lost partial power. The pilot responded by selecting the alternate engine control computer and increasing the richness of the mixture, both to no avail. He subsequently performed a forced landing to a nearby road and the airplane struck a mailbox and a ditch during the landing roll. A postaccident test run of the engine was successful, and during 8 months of subsequent troubleshooting by the pilot during the process of rebuilding the airplane, the engine anomaly encountered on the accident flight could not be duplicated or definitively determined.
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 (partial) during initial climb 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
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 166 hours in all; 72 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 140 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 6, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 70 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Mazda 13B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5KY3 Paducah KY
- Destination: 5KY3 Paducah KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,915 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from PAH, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.