Amateur-built C-5 accident near Tucson, Arizona, December 6, 2007
On December 6, 2007 at about 4:35 pm local time, a amateur-built C-5, registered N700H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tucson, Arizona (La Cholla Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a total loss of engine power due to the failure of the number 3 articulating rod.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 6, 2007 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · La Cholla Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built C-5
- Registration
- N700H · no longer on the register · serial SAS 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight, the pilot heard several "pops" with no drops in oil pressure or temperature noted on the gauges. The engine then seized and the propeller stopped turning. When the pilot realized that she was not going to make her destination airport, she began to look for a place to land. Her options were limited by cars and power lines. She eventually was able to locate a road that was flat with no cars or power lines; however, there was natural desert vegetation. After touchdown the left wing struck a tree and the airplane ground looped. The pilot stated that the airplane was a homebuilt replica with a 1929 Wright Whirlwind R540A engine. The engine was inspected and a large hole on the right side of the engine case was found. Investigators also noted that the damage to the other cylinders and connecting rods appear to have been caused when the number 3 articulating rod separated and began running around inside the engine. The engine seized when the number 3 articulating rod bent the number 4 articulating rod and then moved into the bottom of the number 5 cylinder, forcing itself between the bottom of the piston and the master rod. The underlying cause of the number 3 articulating rod's separation was not able to 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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,836 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 1,642 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 23 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Wright R540A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AVQ Marana AZ at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from AVQ, 11 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.
Other NTSB records under N700H 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.