What happened
On November 14, a flight involving a biplane equipped with a radial engine was being operated from Dade-Collier Airport to Miami-Opa Locka. The crew, consisting of a pilot and a copilot, had been hired to relocate the aircraft. During the enroute phase of the flight, the pilot reported that the engine began emitting smoke and subsequently lost power.
In response to the engine failure, the pilot attempted a forced landing on a levee. During the landing sequence, the width of the aircraft's main landing gear exceeded the width of the levee surface. Following the initial touchdown, the aircraft drifted off the left side of the levee and underwent a nose-over maneuver. The aircraft eventually came to rest in an inverted position, sustaining substantial damage. There were zero fatalities and zero injuries reported among the crew.
Findings
Investigation into the incident noted that while the pilot and copilot were both highly experienced aviators, neither individual possessed prior flight experience specifically in this aircraft make and model. The primary factor in the aircraft's excursion from the levee was the mismatch between the landing gear width and the levee surface.