LAX02LA254

Factual narrative

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. The vintage biplane was in cruise flight at 9,500 feet msl, when the engine lost power. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a narrow dirt road and attempted to reestablish engine power to no avail. The airplane touched down at an airspeed just below 70 mph, and started to decelerate. The lower left wingtip struck a barbed wire fence. The airplane veered to the right, impacted a fence, and nosed over coming to rest inverted. 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. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12