20100720043189A

SCENARIO: THE AIRCRAFT HAD A REDUCTION OF ENGINE POWER AT ABOUT 400 FEET AGL AFTER TAKE OFF FROM RUNWAY 22 WITH FULL LENGTH OF 6004 FEET AVAILABLE. PILOT TURNED IMMEDIATELY 180 DEGREES BACK TO THE AIRPORT. HE THEN LANDED THE AIRCRAFT ON SOFT HIGH GRASS ON A FLAT AREA ABOUT 200 FEET OUTSIDE THE AIRPORT FENCE. THE LANDING GEAR WAS STILL DOWN AND IT APPEARED THAT THE ENGINE WAS SPINNING WITHOUT PRODUCING POWER. TOUCH DOWN WAS AT STALL SPEED. THE AIRPLANE SKIDDED STRAIGHT AHEAD AND PENETRATED THROUGH THE METAL WIRE (CHAIN LINK) FENCE OF THE AIRPORT. IT CAME TO REST ABOUT 50 FEET PAST THE FENCE LINE. THE FENCE REMAINED WRAPPED AROUND THE AIRCRAFT. SOME STEEL POSTS WERE PUSHED DOWN BY THE WINGS. NO FIRE OCCURRED AND THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT FLIP. THE PIC WAS A TRADEWIND INSTRUCTOR (CFI, CFII, MEI) AND THE SECOND OCCUPANT WAS A RATED PRIVATE PILOT WITH ABOUT 200 HOURS. NO INJURIES TO OCCUPANTS. WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A TEST FLIGHT IN CONNECTION WITH BREAKING IN OF THE ENGINE AFTER A COMPLETE ENGINE OVERHAUL AND A FACTORY NEW 3 BLADED PROPELLER. AFTER THE ENGINE OVERHAUL, THE AIRCRAFT FLEW ABOUT 6 HOURS ON 07/16/2010 AND 07/17/2010 FOR THE INITIAL BREAK-IN PHASE. HOWEVER, THE FUEL SERVO HAD TO BE REPLACED WITH ANOTHER OVERHAULED, YELLOW TAGGED PART ON 07/20/2010 SINCE THE AIRCRAFT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO START DURING THE PREVIOUS FLIGHTS. TRADEWIND AVIATION MAINTENANCE RECEIVED THE REPLACEMENT FUEL SERVO ON 07/20/2010 FROM QUALITY AIRCRAFT ACCESSORIES INC. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, AFTER TRADEWIND AVIATION MAINTENANCE DISCUSSED THE PREVIOUS ENGINE START PROBLEMS WITH KELLY AEROSPACE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS RECEIVED ON 07/20/2010 WAS INSTALLED AND RIGGED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN RELEASED FOR A TEST FLIGHT AFTER A THOROUGH GROUND RUN AND SYSTEMS CHECK. AFTER THE IMPACT THE SCENE WAS SECURED BY AIRPORT SECURITY AND THE AIRPORT FIRE TRUCK SPRAYED WATER / FOAM ALTHOUGH NO FIRE OCCURRED. THE FIRE FIGHTERS OBSERVED AT LEAST 5 TO 10 GALLONS OF 100 LL GAS LEAKING FROM THE RIGHT WING. OBSERVATIONS: 1.THE APPROXIMATE WEATHER WAS VFR, CLEAR, VISIBILITY GREATER THAN I0 MILES, WIND 230 AT 8, TEMP. 33, DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS 2,100 FEET. 2.THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS ON THE RIGHT TANK. 3.THE RIGHT TANK WAS EMPTY, SEVERAL HOLES IN TANK. 2 TEASPOONS OF WATER WAS DRAINED FROM THE TANK. THE WATER WAS CLEAR AND APPEARED NOT TO HAVE BEEN IN THE TANK FOR VERY LONG. PROBABLY FROM THE FIRE FIGHTERS FROM THE DAY BEFORE. 4.LEFT FUEL TANK WAS FULL, REMOVED CAP AND FUEL POURED OUT IMMEDIATELY. 2 TEASPOONS OF WATER WAS DRAINED FROM THE TANK. WATER WAS AGAIN CLEAR AND APPEARED TO BE FRESH, BUT NO HOLES IN THIS FUEL TANK. 5.FIREWALL FUEL STRAINER, NO WATER AND THE FUEL WAS CLEAR AND BLUE. 6.FUEL SAMPLE TAKEN FROM LEFT WING. 7.DISCONNECTED THE FUEL LINE AT FUEL SERVO AND DRAIN FUEL. FUEL WAS CLEAR AND BLUE. 8.ALL ENGINE CONTROLS WERE IN THE FULL FORWARD POSITION. 9.THROTTLE CONNECTED AND FULL TRAVEL AVAILABLE. 10.PROPELLER CONNECTED AND FULL TRAVEL AVAILABLE. 11.FUEL MIXTURE CONNECTED AND FULL TRAVEL AVAILABLE. 12.FUEL SELECTOR HAD SMOOTH TRAVEL AND CUT OFF LOCK WAS OPERATING PROPERLY. WHEN SELECTED TO LEFT TANK, FUEL BEGAN TO DRAIN FROM FIREWALL FUEL FILTER INDICATING GOOD FUEL FLOW TO FIREWALL FUEL STRAINER. 13.BATTERY SWITCH WAS ON, BUT BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED BY FIRE FIGHTERS. 14.FUEL PUMP SWITCH WAS ON. UNABLE TO TEST PUMP DUE TO BATTERY DISCONNECTED AND FIRE SAFETY REASONS. 15.LANDING LIGHT SWITCH WAS ON. 16.NO CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE OUT. 17.FLAP HANDLE WAS DOWN. FLAPS APPEARED TO BE IN THE UP POSITION. 18.GEAR SELECTOR WAS IN DOWN POSITION. 19.MAGNETO SWITCH WAS ON BOTH POSITIONS. 20.ALTIMETER WAS SET ON 30.04. 21.MOVING YOKE AND BOTH AILERONS TRY TO MOVE. ELEVATOR WOULD MOVE. MOVING RUDDER AND RUDDER PEDALS MOVED. THIS DEMONSTRATED CONTINUITY OF ALL FLIGHT CONTROLS. CHECKED ALL VISIBLE CONNECTION AND ALL WERE CONNECTED PROPERLY.