Amateur-built AVID MK IV accident near Concrete, Washington, June 27, 2000
On June 27, 2000 at about 6:06 pm local time, a amateur-built AVID MK IV, registered N518DC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Concrete, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fracture of the engine's #1 connecting rod, resulting in a total loss of engine power. Factors were an engine overheat condition experienced at an undetermined time, and no suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 2000 · about 6:06 pm local time
- Place
- Concrete, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AVID MK IV
- Registration
- N518DC · no longer on the register · serial 1475D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while returning to the airport, the engine sputtered and quit, and would not restart. He attempted a forced landing in a rugged logging area. He was unable to make it to a logging road, and the airplane crashed into trees and bushes along the side of the road. The engine, a Subaru auto engine modified for experimental-aircraft use, had 309.3 hours total time and had undergone a condition inspection 5.1 flight hours/one week prior to the accident. Post-accident examinations revealed that the #1 connecting rod had fractured and penetrated the engine case. Indications of an engine overheat condition occurring at an undetermined time were also noted including melted overheat sensors on the cylinder heads, and oil baked onto the oil filler cap and the inside of a valve cover.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 813 hours in all; 310 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 677 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 310 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 20, 2000; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Stratus E81 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WA13 Concrete WA at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N518DC 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.