Classic Aircraft Corp. WACO YMF accident near Sedona, Arizona, July 26, 1997
On July 26, 1997 at about 2:09 am local time, a Classic Aircraft Corp. WACO YMF, registered N369BP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sedona, Arizona (Sedona airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power due to a loose rocker arm adjustment nut on the number 6 cylinder. The loose adjustment nut was due to inadequate maintenance adjustment performed by the engine manufacturer.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 1997 · about 2:09 am local time
- Place
- Sedona, Arizona · Sedona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Classic Aircraft Corp. WACO YMF
- Registration
- N369BP · registry record · serial 005
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a local sightseeing flight, the engine started running rough. The pilot began a turn back toward the airport and noticed a decrease in power, which continued to escalate. He was unable to maintain altitude and selected a road to attempt a forced landing. During the landing, the airplane's right wing struck a telephone junction box. An exam revealed that the number 6 cylinder exhaust valve rocker arm adjustment nut was loose and the exhaust valve was not functioning. Review of the maintenance records disclosed that the valves were adjusted at the factory about 5 months and 200 hours prior to the accident.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,638 hours in all; 1,539 in this make and model; 96 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 4,337 as pilot in command; 1,634 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 856 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 18, 1997; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755-2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEZ AZ at 1:50 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.