Amateur-built Vans RV 3-A accident near Denton, Texas, November 3, 2001
On November 3, 2001 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Vans RV 3-A, registered N96LS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Denton, Texas (Denton Muni 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
the pilot's failure to perform a preflight inspection, which resulted in a loss of total engine power due to oil starvation. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable training for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 3, 2001 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Denton, Texas · Denton Muni · 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 3-A
- Registration
- N96LS · registry record · serial 10526
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had spent most of the day waxing his airplane and decided to fly it once around the pattern. The engine start-up, taxi, and engine run-up "indications were normal." While climbing out at 600 feet agl, the engine lost power. The pilot attempted, unsuccessfully, to restart the engine. During a forced landing to a field, the airplane impacted small trees and vegetation. Examination of the engine revealed it was "seized" and contained no oil. No evidence of an oil leak was found. The mechanic, who had been servicing the airplane, reported to the FAA inspector that he had drained the oil from the airplane's engine, left the airplane unattended, and had not replenished the oil prior to the accident flight.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 25, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 53.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2000
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DTO Denton TX at 8:55 pm
- Destination: Denton TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from DTO, 1 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW02LA029.