# Accident 20010304003139A: Amtr LANCAIRES, Tucson, AZ, March 4, 2001 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: March 4, 2001, 10:37 local time - Place: Tucson, AZ - Airport: Avra Valley Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 32.4101° N, 110.9509° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.4101&lon=-110.9509&mi=10 - Aircraft: N350N, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N350N-2018-12-13) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Harlow John H JR LANCAIR ES (registry code 05603I0, https://openairdocs.org/model/harlow-john-h-jr-lancair-es) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AMTR LANCAIRES - Reported engine: AMTR GMLT1350 - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 573 total, 328 in this make and model, 9 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX01LA108](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01LA108) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010304003139A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-19) ON MARCH 4, 2001, AT 1037 HOURS MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A HARLOW LANCAIR ES, N350N, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FIELD NEAR MARANA, ARIZONA, DUE TO SMOKE EMANATING FROM THE ENGINE COWLING. THE PRIVATE PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES WHILE THE SOLE PASSENGER WAS UNINJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED DURING THE FLIGHT FROM CASA GRANDE TO LA CHOLLA AIRPARK, ARIZONA. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED BY THE OWNER UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED CASA GRANDE AT AN UNKNOWN TIME, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING HIS FLIGHT FROM CASA GRANDE TO LA CHOLLA, HE NOTED SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE COWLING AS HE NEARED MARANA. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE REDUCED POWER AND INITIATED AN EMERGENCY LANDING, INTENDING TO LAND AT MARANA NORTHWEST REGIONAL AIRPORT. AS HE DESCENDED, HE REALIZED THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE THE AIRPORT AND APPLIED POWER TO SLOW THE DESCENT. THE ENGINE RESPONDED TO THE THROTTLE INPUT, BUT THE PROPELLER DID NOT. THE PASSENGER, WHO IS ALSO A PILOT, STATED THAT THE PROPELLER WAS TURNING INDEPENDENTLY OF THE ENGINE. HE STATED THAT THIS AIRCRAFT HAD A MARINE VERSION OF THE G.M. LT-1 AUTOMOTIVE ENGINE. ACCORDING TO HIS OBSERVATION, THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING BUT THE PROP WAS NOT BEING DRIVEN THROUGH THE GEAR BOX. (-23)WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT @APPROX. 5000 (AGL) THE PILOT SAW SMOKE EMITTING FROM THE REDUCTION GEAR BOX. POWER WAS REDUCED AND PILOT ELECTED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FRESHLY PLOWED FARM FIELD APPROX. ONE (1) MILE NORTH OF MARANA AIRPORT (AVQ). THE A/C CAME TO REST UPSIDE DOWN AFTER TOUCHDOWN. NO POSTCRASH FIRE, HOWEVER, THE PILOT SUSTAINED BACK INJURIES. THE A/C'S BOTH WINGS HAD BEEN BROKEN IN THE SPAR AREA AND AT MID-SPAN CHORDWISE. (.4) ON MARCH 4, 2001, AT 1037 HOURS MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A HARLOW LANCAIR ES, N350N, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A FORCED LANDING IN A FIELD NEAR MARANA, ARIZONA, DUE TO SMOKE EMANATING FROM THE ENGINE COWLING. THE PRIVATE PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES WHILE THE SOLE PASSENGER WAS UNINJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED DURING THE FLIGHT FROM CASA GRANDE TO LA CHOLLA AIRPARK, ARIZONA. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED BY THE OWNER UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED CASA GRANDE AT 0910, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING HIS FLIGHT FROM CASA GRAN DE TO LA CHOLLA, HE NOTED SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE COWLING AS HE NEARED MARANA. HE REDUCED POWER AND INITIATED A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING, INTENDING TO LAND AT MARANA NORTHWEST REGIONAL AIRPORT. AS HE DESCENDED, HE REALIZED THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE THE AIRPORT AND APPLIED POWER TO SLOW THE DESCENT. THE ENGINE RESPONDED TO THE THROTTLE INPUT, BUT THE PROPELLER DID NOT. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHEN HE REALIZED HE COULD NOT MAKE THE AIRPORT, HE DIRECTED THE AIRPLANE TO A PLOWED AGRICULTURAL FIELD. DURING THE LANDING SEQUENCE, THE NOSE GEAR "DUG IN" AND COLLAPSED; THE AIRPLANE WAS NOSED OVER. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST INVERTED. BOTH WINGS WERE SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE RIGHT WING SPAR WAS BROKEN AND THE LEFT WING SEPARATED AT THE WING ROOT. THE PILOT, WHO IS ALSO THE BUILDER OF THE AIRPLANE, NOTED THAT THE PROPELLER DRIVE BELT PULLEY HAD BEEN HEATED AND DISTORTED, AND THE DRIVE BELT HAD SEPARATED. HE NOTED WHAT APPEARED TO BE SPOTS OF MOLTEN ALUMINUM NEAR THE DRIVE PULLEY. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE BELT REDUCTION DRIVE BEARING AND BELT HAD FAILED. THE ENGINE AND REDUCTION DRIVE UNIT USED ON THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE ARE DERIVED FROM A MARINE APPLICATION OF AN AUTOMOTIVE ENGINE. THE FEDE RAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION APPROVED MANUFACTURER OF THE AIRPLANE KIT STATED THAT THEY DO NOT SUPPORT USE OF AUTOMOTIVE OR MARINE APPLICATIONS ON THEIR AIRPLANES. THE MANUALS AND PLANS PROVIDED WITH THE KIT CALL FOR CONTINENTAL OR LYCOMING ENGINES ONLY. THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE USED A MARINE VERSION OF THE GENERAL MOTORS LT-1 350 AUTOMOTIVE ENGINE WITH A NON CERTIFIED V-BELT REDUCTION DRIVE UNIT. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB LAX01LA108](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01LA108), Mar 4, 2001: Harlow Lancair ES (N350N), Marana, AZ, substantial damage. Probable cause: Failure of the propeller reduction drive unit which resulted in drive belt and pulley failure and a subsequent loss of thrust requiring an emergency landing on soft terrain. The reason for the… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.