Event CEN14LA385

Factual narrative

On July 19, 2014, about 1030 central daylight time, the pilots of an Evektor-Aerotechnik Sport Star, N636EV, made a forced landing in a mesquite field after the engine lost power during initial climb from Kickapoo Airport (KCWC), Wichita Falls, Texas. The pilot and flight instructor were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by a partnership under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The local flight originated from Wichita Falls about 1000.According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane's insurance company required pilots to have at least 3 hours in the airplane in order to be covered by the policy. The pilot was flying with an instructor to satisfy this requirement. The pilot and instructor were doing touch-and-go landings in the traffic pattern. After the third takeoff and during the initial climb, the engine began to lose power. The instructor said the airplane was at 55 knots and 200 feet above the ground, and there was insufficient runway on which to land. With the engine still partially running, he tried to maintain level flight and return to the airport. Power continued to diminish to the point where the instructor was unable to maintain level flight. He made a forced landing in the nearest field and the airplane collided with mesquite trees. The airplane was taken to Air Salvage of Dallas (ASOD) in Lancaster, Texas, where, on August 26, the engine was functionally tested under the auspices of an FAA inspector. The engine operated normally. The pilot and flight instructor were conducting touch-and-go landings in the traffic pattern. After the third takeoff and during the initial climb, the engine began to lose power. The flight instructor stated that the airplane was at 55 knots and 200 ft above the ground and that insufficient runway was remaining to land. With the engine still running with partial power, he tried to maintain level flight and return to the airport; however, the engine power continued to decrease to the point where the flight instructor was unable to maintain level flight. He made a forced landing in the nearest field, and the airplane collided with trees. The engine was functionally tested, and it operated normally. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Rough terrain-Contributed to outcome