N819DH

On October 12, 2004, about 1140 eastern daylight time, a de Havilland Tiger Moth DH-82C, N819DH, registered to and operated by a private individual as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, made a forced landing following a loss of engine power, in Cross City, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airline transport-rated pilot received serious injuries, and the airplane incurred substantial damage. The flight originated in Moultree, Georgia, the same day, at about 1030.

The pilot stated that while cruising at an altitude of 2,000 feet, about 10 miles north of the Cross City Airport, the airplane's engine surged and began losing power. The pilot stated that the terrain below was heavily forested so he turned toward the only road in the area, initiated emergency procedures, continued the flight over the road in the direction of the airport, and executed a forced landing about 3 miles north of the airport. The pilot said that the road was unsuitable for landing and that during the landing rollout, the landing gear dug into the soft sand and the airplane came to an abrupt halt. According to the pilot, prior to the engine ceasing to operate, there were no problems noted with the airplane during the flight.

An FAA inspector conducted a postcrash examination of the accident airplane, and noted no anomalies. He said that the wooden propeller had shattered, but there was adequate oil in the engine, and there was no significant apparent damage to the engine or accessories. He said he was partially able to rotate the engine and it seemed to have compression, but he was unable to verify continuity due to the inaccessibility of the cylinders. Upon examining the throttle and mixture controls, he said the mixture control exhibited some binding, and when a fuel sample was taken from the drain located on the firewall and small deposits of rust was observed in the fuel. Fuel obtained from the carburetor appeared free of any contaminants.

On October 15, 2004, the NTSB conducted a follow-on examination. During the course of the examination the engine was noted to have continuity through its drive train, with proper valve action and compression being noted to exist on all cylinders. In addition other systems to include the induction as well as ignition systems were examined, and no anomalies were noted.