Amateur-built RV-6 accident near Burley, Idaho, September 27, 2006
On September 27, 2006 at about 7:00 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-6, registered N566JH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Burley, Idaho. 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
A loss of engine power due to the malfunctioning of the carburetor. A factor was the airplane nosing over due to the rough/uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2006 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Burley, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-6
- Registration
- N566JH · registry record · serial 20903
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he had entered downwind for landing and had pulled the throttle back to idle prior to turning base. While on base, he pushed the throttle forward to clear the engine; the engine did not respond. The pilot changed fuel tanks, checked boost pump, and manipulated the throttle with no engine response. He performed a forced landing to a potato field and the aircraft flipped inverted immediately after touchdown. The left horizontal stabilizer and the vertical stabilizer were bent and wrinkled. The pilot said that the engine's carburetor had been worked on within the year and he believes the power loss was due to the malfunctioning of the carburetor.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 554 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 576 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2006; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,010 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A3B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BYI Burley ID at 6:10 pm
- Destination: BYI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from BYI, 2 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.
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.