Larry Wohlers' Falco

Larry Wohler's Falco, now owned by a new owner, crashed on July 7, 2003 in Ashland, Ohio. Following is the accident report from the NTSB.

 

NTSB Identification: NYC03LA154
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, July 07, 2003 in Ashland, OH
Aircraft: Wohlers Falco F.8L, registration: N33LW
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Uninjured.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On July 7, 2003, at 1109 eastern daylight time, a homebuilt Falco F.8L, N33LW, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a total loss of power while departing from the Ashland County Airport (3G4), Ashland, Ohio. The certificated private pilot was seriously injured, while the passenger was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight destined for the Chautauqua County Airport (JHW), Jamestown, New York. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, as the airplane was climbing out the airport, about 1,000 feet above the ground, the engine suddenly lost all power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a grass field with the landing gear retracted. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced back into the air, traveled about 110 feet, and touched down again. The airplane slid to a stop and came to rest upright.

The FAA inspector examined the wreckage after the accident and observed that the engine air intake duct had lost its internal support spring structure, allowing the duct casing to be sucked inward, which restricted the air intake.

The most recent annual inspection performed on the airplane was completed on May 10, 2003.