Amateur-built Spirit accident near Blanding, Utah, June 3, 2007
On June 3, 2007 at about 5:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Spirit, registered N35JV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Blanding, Utah. 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
The loss of engine power during cruise due to oil starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 2007 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Blanding, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Spirit
- Registration
- N35JV · registry record · serial 001
- 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 during the cross-country flight the engine lost power and he initiated a forced landing to a nearby road. During the landing roll, the airplane struck small cedar trees and sagebrush and nosed over. Disassembly and examination of the engine revealed that there was metal transfer from the pistons to cylinder walls. The pilot stated that the metal transfer from the piston to the cylinder walls indicated "galling and seizing of the engine" and felt that it was caused by a lack of oil or a previous overheat condition. No additional anomalies were noted with the engine.
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: airline transport pilot, 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; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command; 2,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 345 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2007; 7.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax AK-450 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FMN Farmington NM at 4:15 pm
- Destination: BDG Blanding UT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.