What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 7/7/2000 about 1100 EDT, a Cessna P210N, N7VZ, registered to donatech corp. crashed while attempting to make an emergency landing, following loss of engine power during takeoff f from watauga county airport, Boone, NC ., while on a title 14 CFR part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The a/c received substantial damage and the pricate pilot received minor injuries and the two passengers received no injuries. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. The PIC stated that during takeoff he experienced a loss of power and the "aircraft was not climbing normally". The pilot stated that he ehard a "surging or pulsating sound" , the pilot then "applied full power" and "noticed that the manifold pressure gauge was in the white range and normally the gauge would be in the red range with maximum throttle applied". Pilot made a left hand turn attempting to go around to make an emergency landing, overshot centerline of runway, and crashed on right side of runway. Investigation revealed a/c hit hard on left main landing gear, the impact caused the nose gear to collapse before bouncing and impacting right wing tip. A/c slid approx. 300 feet, and was stopped by a small pile of dirt to right of runway. Investigators determined a/c had been modified with a "riley rocket" conversion. Part of the conversion was installation of an intercooler assembly that runs vertically on right side of firewall, connecting the compressed air coming out of the turbocharger located at the lower right portion of the nacelle with a short aluminum elbow that is bolted to the mouth of the throttle body unit. The intercooler is attached to the turbocharger at the bottom and to the elbow at the top by flexible 3 inch rubber ducts. The aluminum intercooler assembly is attached to the nacelle structure by only one bolt. The top duct was discovered to have a split in approx. 50 % of the circumference. The spilit was on left side of duct where the rubber duct connects to elbow. The clamp holding duct in place on top left side was contacting, rubbing and chafing top of engine cowling. The single bolt attaching intercooler to the nacelle was removed and the hole was noted to be elongated. Evidence of heavy fretting was observed on aluminum channel to which intercooler was attached. Spark plugs were removed and in e xcellent condition. The engine was rotated by moving the propeller and good thumb compression was noted on all cylinders, both magnetos generated a spark when the engine was turned by hand. The fuel manifold was disassembled and the screen noted as clean. The throttle and mixture controls in the cockpit were moved to their limits and compared to the throttle and mixture arms in the engine compartment with normal operation. Other than the split 3 inch rubber duct and evidence of heavy vibration on the intercooler assembly bracket and attaching point on the nacelle, no discrepancy was noted. Beey c. reed FAA iic (above narrative from 8020-23)
As the FAA filed it
ON 7/7/2000 ABOUT 1100 EDT, A CESSNA P210N, N7VZ, REGISTERED TO DONATECH CORP. CRASHED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING, FOLLOWING LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DURING TAKEOFF F FROM WATAUGA COUNTY AIRPORT, BOONE, NC ., WHILE ON A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE A/C RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE PRICATE PILOT RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES AND THE TWO PASSENGERS RECEIVED NO INJURIES. THE FLIGHT WAS ORIGINATING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PIC STATED THAT DURING TAKEOFF HE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER AND THE "AIRCRAFT WAS NOT CLIMBING NORMALLY". THE PILOT STATED THAT HE EHARD A "SURGING OR PULSATING SOUND" , THE PILOT THEN "APPLIED FULL POWER" AND "NOTICED THAT THE MANIFOLD PRESSURE GAUGE WAS IN THE WHITE RANGE AND NORMALLY THE GAUGE WOULD BE IN THE RED RANGE WITH MAXIMUM THROTTLE APPLIED". PILOT MADE A LEFT HAND TURN ATTEMPTING TO GO AROUND TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING, OVERSHOT CENTERLINE OF RUNWAY, AND CRASHED ON RIGHT SIDE OF RUNWAY. INVESTIGATION REVEALED A/C HIT HARD ON LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR, THE IMPACT CAUSED THE NOSE GEAR TO COLLAPSE BEFORE BOUNCING AND IMPACTING RIGHT WING TIP. A/C SLID APPROX. 300 FEET, AND WAS STOPPED BY A SMALL PILE OF DIRT TO RIGHT OF RUNWAY. INVESTIGATORS DETERMINED A/C HAD BEEN MODIFIED WITH A "RILEY ROCKET" CONVERSION. PART OF THE CONVERSION WAS INSTALLATION OF AN INTERCOOLER ASSEMBLY THAT RUNS VERTICALLY ON RIGHT SIDE OF FIREWALL, CONNECTING THE COMPRESSED AIR COMING OUT OF THE TURBOCHARGER LOCATED AT THE LOWER RIGHT PORTION OF THE NACELLE WITH A SHORT ALUMINUM ELBOW THAT IS BOLTED TO THE MOUTH OF THE THROTTLE BODY UNIT. THE INTERCOOLER IS ATTACHED TO THE TURBOCHARGER AT THE BOTTOM AND TO THE ELBOW AT THE TOP BY FLEXIBLE 3 INCH RUBBER DUCTS. THE ALUMINUM INTERCOOLER ASSEMBLY IS ATTACHED TO THE NACELLE STRUCTURE BY ONLY ONE BOLT. THE TOP DUCT WAS DISCOVERED TO HAVE A SPLIT IN APPROX. 50 % OF THE CIRCUMFERENCE. THE SPILIT WAS ON LEFT SIDE OF DUCT WHERE THE RUBBER DUCT CONNECTS TO ELBOW. THE CLAMP HOLDING DUCT IN PLACE ON TOP LEFT SIDE WAS CONTACTING, RUBBING AND CHAFING TOP OF ENGINE COWLING. THE SINGLE BOLT ATTACHING INTERCOOLER TO THE NACELLE WAS REMOVED AND THE HOLE WAS NOTED TO BE ELONGATED. EVIDENCE OF HEAVY FRETTING WAS OBSERVED ON ALUMINUM CHANNEL TO WHICH INTERCOOLER WAS ATTACHED. SPARK PLUGS WERE REMOVED AND IN E XCELLENT CONDITION. THE ENGINE WAS ROTATED BY MOVING THE PROPELLER AND GOOD THUMB COMPRESSION WAS NOTED ON ALL CYLINDERS, BOTH MAGNETOS GENERATED A SPARK WHEN THE ENGINE WAS TURNED BY HAND. THE FUEL MANIFOLD WAS DISASSEMBLED AND THE SCREEN NOTED AS CLEAN. THE THROTTLE AND MIXTURE CONTROLS IN THE COCKPIT WERE MOVED TO THEIR LIMITS AND COMPARED TO THE THROTTLE AND MIXTURE ARMS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WITH NORMAL OPERATION. OTHER THAN THE SPLIT 3 INCH RUBBER DUCT AND EVIDENCE OF HEAVY VIBRATION ON THE INTERCOOLER ASSEMBLY BRACKET AND ATTACHING POINT ON THE NACELLE, NO DISCREPANCY WAS NOTED. BEEY C. REED FAA IIC (ABOVE NARRATIVE FROM 8020-23)
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.