20030614012159A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Amtr CH 601 HDS · Immokalee, FL · June 14, 2003

Date: June 14, 2003 · 13:30 local
Place: Immokalee, FL
Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N601G
NTSB investigation: NTSBMIA03LA123
Reported as: Amtr CH601HDS
Reported engine: AMTR EA81
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 288 total178 in this make and model24 in the last 90 days

N601GRegistration cancelled Jul 9, 2008 · Fetzer George R CH 601 HDSS/N 6-3340 · Built 2001 Airframe modelFetzer George R CH 601 HDS Engine modelSubaru ALL MDLS A/B4 cycle

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) Aircraft was enroute from naples municipal airport (apf) to Immokalee airport (imm), when the aircraft had an engine failure. The pilot identified two fields for an emergency landing. One appeared brown and rough, the other was green. He elected to land on the green one. At touchdown the right main landing gear and the nose landing gear failed. The aircraft flipped over, coming to rest upside down. No injuries were reported. Investigation of the aircraft revealed the distributor had wear marks on the spark plug wire posts from the rotor contacting them. The metal contactor on the rotor was missing. It was located in the distributor. While attempting to remove the rotor contactor pieces, the pilot noticed the distributor shaft had movement side to side. This appears to be the cause of the rotor contacting the distributor causing the failure of the rotor.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRCRAFT WAS ENROUTE FROM NAPLES MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (APF) TO IMMOKALEE AIRPORT (IMM), WHEN THE AIRCRAFT HAD AN ENGINE FAILURE. THE PILOT IDENTIFIED TWO FIELDS FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING. ONE APPEARED BROWN AND ROUGH, THE OTHER WAS GREEN. HE ELECTED TO LAND ON THE GREEN ONE. AT TOUCHDOWN THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND THE NOSE LANDING GEAR FAILED. THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER, COMING TO REST UPSIDE DOWN. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. INVESTIGATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THE DISTRIBUTOR HAD WEAR MARKS ON THE SPARK PLUG WIRE POSTS FROM THE ROTOR CONTACTING THEM. THE METAL CONTACTOR ON THE ROTOR WAS MISSING. IT WAS LOCATED IN THE DISTRIBUTOR. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE THE ROTOR CONTACTOR PIECES, THE PILOT NOTICED THE DISTRIBUTOR SHAFT HAD MOVEMENT SIDE TO SIDE. THIS APPEARS TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE ROTOR CONTACTING THE DISTRIBUTOR CAUSING THE FAILURE OF THE ROTOR.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB MIA03LA123Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportImmokalee, FLExcessive rotor distributor shaft clearance that resulted in damage to the distributor rotor, a loss of ignition, the engine ceasing to operate. This resulted in a forced landing to unsuitable terrain and the airplane nosing over.Jun 14, 2003 · Substantial damage