Amateur-built COZY MARK IV accident near Dublin, Virginia, December 30, 2022
On December 30, 2022 at about 8:00 pm local time, a 2018 amateur-built COZY MARK IV, registered N121, was destroyed in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Dublin, Virginia (New River Valley airport). 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
A fire of undetermined origin during an attempted engine restart while taxiing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 30, 2022 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dublin, Virginia · New River Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built COZY MARK IV, built 2018
- Registration
- N121 · no longer on the register · serial 1648
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the experimental, amateur-built airplane had completed an hour-long local flight, and he was taxiing the airplane back to his hangar when the engine stopped. The pilot then spent about 5 minutes trying to restart the engine before smoke began to enter the cockpit through a heat duct tunnel. The pilot then turned off the fuel, the master switch, and magnetos and exited the airplane. The pilot reported smoke was coming from the cowling in the rear of the pusher-configured airplane. He then emptied a fire extinguisher into the cowling, and the smoke decreased, but did not stop. Flames eventually ignited the cowling and then spread to the fuselage. The local fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. The fire nearly consumed the fuselage and the inboard portions of both wings. The pilot subsequently disposed of the airplane’s wreckage, and it could not be examined after the accident; therefore, the origin of the fire could not be 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
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during taxi (from runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,528 hours in all; 139 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,528 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 7, 2022
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 139 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 20, 2022
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming YIO-360-EXP14 (piston); 139 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from KPSK
Weather report (METAR): METAR KPSK 301955Z AUTO 05003KT 10SM OVC048 15/06 A3019 RMK AO2 T01460063=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on January 2, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - Wreckage Disposal | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Information | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.