Event LAX02LA223

Factual narrative

On July 13, 2002, at 0643 mountain standard time, an amateur-built, experimental Steen SE-1 single engine airplane, N2018S, collided with trees and terrain after takeoff from Ryan Field Airport (RYN), Tucson, Arizona, after reporting engine problems. The owner/pilot operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The collision sequence and a post impact fire destroyed the airplane. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area flight, and no flight plan had been filed. According to a witness, this was the third attempt to test fly the airplane. The engine had a history of oil temperature and oil pressure problems that the owner was attempting to fix. Prior to departure, the pilot indicated to RYN tower personnel that he "hoped he would make it." After departure, the pilot radioed tower personnel that he had an engine problem and was going to attempt to land on the highway. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident site, the airplane impacted mesquite type trees and came to rest about 150 yards beyond the trees. The airplane engine was a Toyota MR 2 obtained from an auto salvage yard by the pilot. The inspector found no maintenance records for the airplane. Review of the FAA's aircraft records regarding the accident airplane revealed a Designated Airworthiness Representative issued a Special Airworthiness Certificate for the airplane on March 21, 2002. Photographs taken at the accident site revealed the entire airframe burnt away, with the exception of the wooden spars and the fuselage tubular structure. Fire destroyed the instrument panel, cockpit area, and entire fuel system. The one propeller blade (composite) was warped and its trailing edge was partially separated where the face and front of the blade attach. The other composite blade separated and was warped and burned adjacent to the spinner. The nature of the engine problem could not be determined. The last medical certificate issued to the pilot was a third-class medical issued in June 1989. Pilot records were not made available to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge. The Pima County Medical Examiner's office conducted an autopsy on the pilot. The medical examiner noted a preexisting heart condition, but attributed the cause of death to injuries sustained in the accident. A toxicology test conducted on the pilot for carbon monoxide, cyanide, volatiles, and drugs resulted in no findings. The experimental amateur-built airplane impacted trees and terrain during a forced landing following a loss of engine power during takeoff. The private pilot was attempting his third flight test after obtaining a Special Airworthiness Certificate for the airplane. The engine had a history of oil temperature and oil pressure problems that the owner was attempting to fix. After departure, the pilot radioed tower personnel that he had an engine problem and was going to attempt to land on the highway. A post crash fire consumed the airplane. No maintenance records for the airplane were found, no records for the pilot were provided, and the cause of the engine problem could not be determined. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12