# Accident 20100915046869A: Aerolite BEARCAT NO, Minneola, TX, September 15, 2010

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 15, 2010, 07:20 local time
- Place: Minneola, TX
- Airport: Mineola Wisener Field
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.6767° N, 95.5110° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at MINEOLA WISENER FLD (3F9), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.6767&lon=-95.5110&mi=10
- Aircraft: NONE (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: AEROLITE BEARCAT NO
- Reported engine: ROTAX 582
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100915046869A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

MR. ENGLAND, A NON-CERTIFICATED PILOT, TOOK OFF IN A AEROLITE BEARCAT, AN UNREGISTERED AIRCRAFT AT ABOUT 0800 ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2010. THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR AND CALM. AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES, HE EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE FAILURE AND ATTEMPTED TO LAND AT AN OPEN FIELD NEARBY THE AIRPORT. DURING THE LANDING SEQUENCE, HE ATTEMPTED TO DEPLOY HIS PARACHUTE, BUT IT WAS NOT ATTACHED TO THE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE. HE TRIED TO LAND ON AN OPEN FIELD BUT IMPACTED AN EMBANKMENT. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED SLIGHTLY NOSE DOWN, SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGING THE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE. INVESTIGATION BY A CERTIFICATED MECHANIC INDICATED THE CAUSE OF THE ENGINE FAILURE WAS OIL STARVATION CAUSED BY A FAILURE OF THE OIL PUMP/ HE NOTED THAT THE PISTONS WERE AFTER MARKET PISTONS. THE ENGINE WAS A 1981 OR 1982 MODEL.THE AIRCRAFT WAS SOLD TO MR. ENGLAND AS AN ULTRALIGHT. HE OWNS ANOTHER ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT AS WELL, A FISHER 505. THE FISHER 505 SPECIFICATIONS INDICATE THE WEIGHT AT 250 POUNDS. THE AEROLITE BEARCAT LISTS IT'S EMPTY WEIGHT AS 275 #, WHICH IS NOT CLASIFIED AS AN ULTRALIGHT. CHECKED THE INTERNET, AND FOUND TWO OTHER BEARCAT'S FOR SALE. THEY WERE BOTH BEING SOLD AS ULTRALIGHTS.

## NTSB investigation

None matched to this report by aircraft and date. Search the NTSB's own records: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/basic-search

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.

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