Amateur-built 173 RG ELITE accident near N. Little Rock, Arkansas, March 26, 1998
On March 26, 1998 at about 10:10 pm local time, a amateur-built 173 RG ELITE, registered N173VE, was destroyed in an accident near N. Little Rock, Arkansas (N Little Rock Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadequate fusion between the valve stem and head due to inadequate quality control during construction of the exhaust valve for the number three cylinder. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 1998 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- N. Little Rock, Arkansas · N Little Rock Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 173 RG ELITE 173 RG ELI
- Registration
- N173VE · no longer on the register · serial 301
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental homebuilt airplane was destroyed when it impacted trees following a loss of engine power during the takeoff/initial climb. Several witnesses reported that the engine sputtered then it lost power. Post-accident metallurgical examination revealed radial and circumferential cracks on the valve seat head of the #3 exhaust valve. The combustion chamber face of the valve contained sites of surface tearing where there was a lack of fusion of the coating to the base metal. Voids at the interface between the coating and the base material contained aluminum oxide, a material used during surface preparation operation.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 116 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 21, 1998; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Franklin 6A-350-C1R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 1M1 at 10:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,009 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 14 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from LIT, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.