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N29904 accident description

Arizona map... Arizona list
Crash location 34.890277°N, 112.421667°W
Reported location is a long distance from the NTSB's reported nearest city. This often means that the location has a typo, or is incorrect.
Nearest city Dewey, AZ
34.530025°N, 112.241274°W
26.9 miles away
Tail number N29904
Accident date 17 Aug 2002
Aircraft type Waco YPF-7
Additional details: None

NTSB Factual Report

On August 17, 2002, at 1455 mountain standard time, a Waco YPF-7 vintage biplane, N29904, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power while in cruise flight near Dewey, Arizona. The airline transport pilot and his passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was owned by STI Enterprises, Inc., of Wilmington, Delaware, and was being operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight for which a flight plan was not filed. The cross-country flight originated from the H.A. Clark Memorial Field Airport (P32), near Williams, Arizona, at 1428. The flight's destination was the Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT), near Phoenix, Arizona.

The 20,457-hour pilot reported in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) that while in cruise flight at 9,500 feet msl, the engine started to lose power without warning. During the emergency descent, the pilot attempted to restart the engine while looking for a place to land. The pilot located a narrow dirt road and maneuvered the airplane for landing.

The airplane touched down on the road at an airspeed just below 70 mph, and the airplane began to decelerate. During the landing roll, the lower right wing tip struck a barbed-wire fence. Subsequently, the airplane veered to the right crossing a ditch, impacting a barbed wire fence where it nosed over and came to rest inverted in a pasture adjacent to the road.

The pilot stated that both the upper and lower right wings were destroyed, and the vertical fin and rudder were damaged. The pilot further reported that he topped-off the airplane's fuel tanks prior to departure from P32. The recovery crew drained 30 gallons of fuel from the fuel system prior to the recovery of the airplane.

Examination of the engine, under supervision of an FAA inspector revealed that the carburetor float was cracked, which "resulted in a flooded carburetor". The aircraft maintenance records indicated the carburetor was overhauled 3 months prior to the accident.

NTSB Probable Cause

The loss of engine power due to a flooded carburetor. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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