Amateur-built AVID FLYER accident near Lakeside, Oregon, November 17, 2013
On November 17, 2013 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 1989 amateur-built AVID FLYER, registered N1445P, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Lakeside, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot/owner’s failure to comply with the engine manufacturer’s maintenance guidance, which resulted in the total loss of engine power due to the fracture failure of the plastic drive gear for the engine lubricating oil pump.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 2013 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeside, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AVID FLYER C, built 1989
- Registration
- N1445P · no longer on the register · serial 375
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had owned the experimental amateur-built airplane for about 1 month and had flown it about 3 hours. Shortly after departure on a personal flight, as the airplane was climbing through an altitude of about 1,800 feet above ground level, the engine lost total power. The pilot set up for a forced landing to the top of a sand dune; however, the airplane collided with the upsloping face of the dune. Examination of the engine revealed that the plastic drive gear for the engine lubricating oil pump had fractured into multiple fragments, which resulted in cessation of oil pump rotation, loss of oil pressure and circulation, and complete loss of engine power. Only a few traces of dried lubricant were found on the fractured plastic gears; no other lubrication was found, indicating that a long period of time had passed since any maintenance had been performed on the oil pump. Review of the maintenance records indicated that, although the engine manufacturer recommended that the engine be overhauled every 5 calendar years, the engine was most recently overhauled about 12 years before the accident. Further, the most recent maintenance entry in the engine records was dated about 3 weeks after the overhaul.
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
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › (general) › Owner/builder
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng oil sys › Not serviced/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng oil sys › Damaged/degraded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng oil sys › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 679 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 643 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2012
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 150 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 8, 2013; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 933 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 10 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9S3 Lakeside OR at 10:00 pm
- Destination: 9S3 Lakeside OR
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,200 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from KOTH, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.