20010828024229A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Amtr RANS S-7 · Fruita, CO · August 28, 2001

Date
August 28, 2001 · 13:30 local
Place
Fruita, CO
Airport
Private
Phase of flight
Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N91642
NTSB investigation
NTSBDEN01LA153
Reported as
Amtr RANSS7
Reported engine
ROTAX ROTAX582
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
10,000 total4 in this make and model4 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Pilot took off east bound from Private Airport. At approximately 50 feet AGL pilot noted that the aircraft was no producing full power and that the aircraft ceased to climb. Pilot made slight turn to the northeast to proceed to an open field, aircraft continued to slowly lose power, pilot attempted to stretch glider to make suitable landing area but approached stall so he lowered the nose to regain airspeed and landed short of desired area. Landing hard collapsing landing gear, damage to right wing, damage to propeller, broke cross supports in mid section of fuselage by pilots seat, broke diagonal tubes behind wind screen in cockpit, pushed tail wheel out of position, and damage to horizontal stabilizer. (.19) on August 28, 2001, at approximately 1330 mountain daylight time, a bradley rans S-7 homebuilt airplane, N91642, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Fruita, Colorado. The airline transport pilot, the sole occupant aboard the airplane, was not injured. A Private individual was operating the airplane under title 14 CFR part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local test flight that was originating at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed. According to the pilot, shortly after takeoff, the engine began to lose power. He stretched the glide because of an irrigation ditch. The airplane mushed to the ground, and the fuselage was twisted. (.4) on August 28, 2001, at approximately 1340 mountain daylight time, a bradley rans S-7 homebuilt airplane, N91642, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Fruita, Colorado. The airline transport pilot, the sole occupant aboard the airplane, was not injured. A Private individual was operating the airplane under title 14 CFR part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local test flight that was originating at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed. According to the pilot, shortly after takeoff (approximately 30 feet above the ground), the engine began to lose power. He said the airplane lost the ability to climb at about 60 feet above ground level. The pilot said there was a fence and a barn directly in his flight path; he turned the aircraft left toward an alfalfa field to make an emergency landing. The en gine continued to lose power and attempts to regain engine power failed. The airplane started to lose airspeed until the onset of a stall. The pilot reduced the airplane's angle of attack so that the airplane would not stall. The airplane contacted the ground with its right wing first, then rotated until its heading was 180 degrees from its flight path, subsequently coming to rest against a fence. The airplane's engine mount, both wings, and the horizontal stabilizer were bent, and the fuselage was wrinkled. Postaccident examination of the two cylinder engine by the pilot revealed that both piston rings had failed. The owner reported that the engine had approximately 4 hours of flight operation time.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT TOOK OFF EAST BOUND FROM PRIVATE AIRPORT. AT APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET AGL PILOT NOTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS NO PRODUCING FULL POWER AND THAT THE AIRCRAFT CEASED TO CLIMB. PILOT MADE SLIGHT TURN TO THE NORTHEAST TO PROCEED TO AN OPEN FIELD, AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO SLOWLY LOSE POWER, PILOT ATTEMPTED TO STRETCH GLIDER TO MAKE SUITABLE LANDING AREA BUT APPROACHED STALL SO HE LOWERED THE NOSE TO REGAIN AIRSPEED AND LANDED SHORT OF DESIRED AREA. LANDING HARD COLLAPSING LANDING GEAR, DAMAGE TO RIGHT WING, DAMAGE TO PROPELLER, BROKE CROSS SUPPORTS IN MID SECTION OF FUSELAGE BY PILOTS SEAT, BROKE DIAGONAL TUBES BEHIND WIND SCREEN IN COCKPIT, PUSHED TAIL WHEEL OUT OF POSITION, AND DAMAGE TO HORIZONTAL STABILIZER. (.19) ON AUGUST 28, 2001, AT APPROXIMATELY 1330 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A BRADLEY RANS S-7 HOMEBUILT AIRPLANE, N91642, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A FORCED LANDING NEAR FRUITA, COLORADO. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT ABOARD THE AIRPLANE, WAS NOT INJURED. A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL WAS OPERATING THE AIRPLANE UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE LOCAL TEST FLIGHT THAT WAS ORIGINATING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. HE STRETCHED THE GLIDE BECAUSE OF AN IRRIGATION DITCH. THE AIRPLANE MUSHED TO THE GROUND, AND THE FUSELAGE WAS TWISTED. (.4) ON AUGUST 28, 2001, AT APPROXIMATELY 1340 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A BRADLEY RANS S-7 HOMEBUILT AIRPLANE, N91642, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER NEAR FRUITA, COLORADO. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT ABOARD THE AIRPLANE, WAS NOT INJURED. A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL WAS OPERATING THE AIRPLANE UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE LOCAL TEST FLIGHT THAT WAS ORIGINATING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF (APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND), THE ENGINE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. HE SAID THE AIRPLANE LOST THE ABILITY TO CLIMB AT ABOUT 60 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. THE PILOT SAID THERE WAS A FENCE AND A BARN DIRECTLY IN HIS FLIGHT PATH; HE TURNED THE AIRCRAFT LEFT TOWARD AN ALFALFA FIELD TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING. THE EN GINE CONTINUED TO LOSE POWER AND ATTEMPTS TO REGAIN ENGINE POWER FAILED. THE AIRPLANE STARTED TO LOSE AIRSPEED UNTIL THE ONSET OF A STALL. THE PILOT REDUCED THE AIRPLANE'S ANGLE OF ATTACK SO THAT THE AIRPLANE WOULD NOT STALL. THE AIRPLANE CONTACTED THE GROUND WITH ITS RIGHT WING FIRST, THEN ROTATED UNTIL ITS HEADING WAS 180 DEGREES FROM ITS FLIGHT PATH, SUBSEQUENTLY COMING TO REST AGAINST A FENCE. THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE MOUNT, BOTH WINGS, AND THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER WERE BENT, AND THE FUSELAGE WAS WRINKLED. POSTACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE TWO CYLINDER ENGINE BY THE PILOT REVEALED THAT BOTH PISTON RINGS HAD FAILED. THE OWNER REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE HAD APPROXIMATELY 4 HOURS OF FLIGHT OPERATION TIME.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.