20050623012599A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Amtr Tornado · Moore Township, PA · June 23, 2005

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: June 23, 2005 · 16:13 local
Place: Moore Township, PA
Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: NONE
Reported as: Amtr Tornado
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1

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) Shortly after takeoff, aircraft engine began operating intermittently. The aircraft departed controlled flight and free-fell to the ground, impacting the ground in a nose-down attitude. The pilot received blunt force traumatic fatal injuries from the impact. Coroner's investigation indicated there were no physiological causes for this accident. Investigation the following day revealed improperly installed spark plug on the rear cylinder caused the spark plug hole threads to the stripped, allowing the plug to be blown out of the cylinder shortly after takeoff. Significant power loss followed. Both throttle linkages were loose at the carburetor attachment.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, AIRCRAFT ENGINE BEGAN OPERATING INTERMITTENTLY. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED CONTROLLED FLIGHT AND FREE-FELL TO THE GROUND, IMPACTING THE GROUND IN A NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE. THE PILOT RECEIVED BLUNT FORCE TRAUMATIC FATAL INJURIES FROM THE IMPACT. CORONER'S INVESTIGATION INDICATED THERE WERE NO PHYSIOLOGICAL CAUSES FOR THIS ACCIDENT. INVESTIGATION THE FOLLOWING DAY REVEALED IMPROPERLY INSTALLED SPARK PLUG ON THE REAR CYLINDER CAUSED THE SPARK PLUG HOLE THREADS TO THE STRIPPED, ALLOWING THE PLUG TO BE BLOWN OUT OF THE CYLINDER SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. SIGNIFICANT POWER LOSS FOLLOWED. BOTH THROTTLE LINKAGES WERE LOOSE AT THE CARBURETOR ATTACHMENT.