Amateur-built BAKENG accident near Garden Valley, Idaho, July 2, 2013
On July 2, 2013 at about 2:00 pm local time, a 1997 amateur-built BAKENG, registered N39796, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Garden Valley, Idaho (Garden Valley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A mechanical failure of the oil cooler, which resulted in a complete loss of oil and engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 2013 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Garden Valley, Idaho · Garden Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BAKENG Deuce, built 1997
- Registration
- N39796 · no longer on the register · serial 235
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
In the days just preceding the accident, the owner-pilot made several uneventful flights in the experimental amateur-built airplane, which was equipped with an aircraft engine and an automotive performance/racing oil cooler. On the morning of the accident, the owner's brother joined him at a remote turf airstrip in mountainous terrain to conduct a flight. The brother, who was also a pilot, took the aft cockpit seat, which was the primary pilot position in the airplane. The owner took the forward cockpit seat. The brother conducted the engine start, taxi-out, run-up, and takeoff, which were all normal. During the climbout, the owner realized that the airplane was not performing as it should, and, when he asked his brother about it, his brother reported that the engine was losing power. The owner took control of the airplane and began a turnback to the airport, and the engine lost total power shortly thereafter. An attempt to restart the engine was unsuccessful, and the airplane landed short of the runway. Examination of the airport revealed an oil spray trail on the turf that began at the parking location and extended along the taxi route and through the takeoff path. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed a significant oil streak on the exterior side of the airplane that emanated from the oil cooler. The engine was also devoid of oil. Detailed examination of the oil cooler revealed deformation of its containment frame and damage to some of the unit's oil tubes, which included separation of the cooling fins from the tubes and several holes in the tubes that permitted oil to escape the cooler. The damage signatures were not consistent with preaccident or postaccident impact or other structural deformation damage. The damage signatures were somewhat, but not completely, consistent with an internal overpressure of the oil cooler; however, the reasons for the internal overpressure could not be determined during postaccident examination.
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
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (climb to cruise)
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during enroute (climb to cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Eng oil sys (airframe furnish) › Cooler › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Oil › Fluid level
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng oil sys › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 486 hours in all; 69 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 486 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 23, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 133 hours in all; 44 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 80 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 28, 2013; 4 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2D (piston); 1,598 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U88 Garden Valley ID at 2:00 pm
- Destination: U88 Garden Valley ID
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.