Amateur-built RV-10 accident near Sun Lakes, Arizona, November 12, 2017
On November 12, 2017 at about 5:25 pm local time, a 2014 amateur-built RV-10, registered N917VA, was substantially damaged in an accident during emergency descent near Sun Lakes, Arizona. 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
The fatigue fractures of the upper and lower alternator attachment bolts, which decreased the common drive belt tension and resulted in the subsequent in-flight separation of an alternator drive belt, the overheating of the engine, and the subsequent total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 12, 2017 · about 5:25 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Sun Lakes, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-10, built 2014
- Registration
- N917VA · registry record · serial 40076
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that, during the en route climb, he smelled antifreeze and realized that the engine was overheating. He then reduced power to idle and turned the airplane back toward the departure airport. As the airplane descended, the pilot added power, but the engine did not respond. He decided to land at a nearby closed airport; however, when he realized that the airplane would be unable to reach it, he performed a forced landing to a desert. During the landing roll, the airplane struck several bushes, which resulted in the nosewheel and left main landing gear collapsing and the left wing and fuselage sustaining substantial damage. The airplane was powered by a modified automobile engine, which was equipped with two alternators and a water pump to circulate the engine coolant. The common drive belt that connected the two alternators and water pump was found detached. In addition, the upper and lower attachment bolts that secured one of the alternators were fractured, and the alternator was partially displaced. Examination of the fracture surfaces of both bolts revealed that they exhibited rachet marks, consistent with fatigue fractures. It is likely that, once the alternator attachment bolts fractured, the common drive belt tension decreased, which resulted in the separation of the belt. The belt separation would have precluded the water pump from operating and led to the engine overheating and eventually losing total power.
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 emergency descent defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng liquid cooling › Inoperative other cases naming the engine
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Electrical power system › Alternator › generator drive sys › Fatigue/wear/corrosion other cases naming the electrical power
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 840 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 815 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 28, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 51 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,199 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Chevrolet LS1 (piston); 51 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CHD Chandler AZ at 5:15 pm
- Destination: CHD Chandler AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from KCHD, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on December 6, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTSB Materials Laboratory Report | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N917VA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Chevrolet LS1 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Chandler Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 468 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,426 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR18LA030.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.