What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On April 16, 2011, about 0805 mountain standard time, an experimental amateur-built rans S-12S airplane, N107JL, was substantially damaged during an attempted precautionary landing at pinal airpark (kmzj), Marana, Arizona. The precautionary landing was prompted by an engine over-temperature event. The pilot/owner and his passenger were not injured. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of 14 code of federal regulations part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. According to the pilot, the airplane was a high-wing pusher configuration, with the partially liquid-cooled Rotax engine mounted atop the cabin and wing. Prior to the flight, he fueled the airplane so that the onboard fuel quantity was 2 gallons less than the total capacity of 18 gallons. He then conducted a preflight inspection without the aid of a checklist, but did not check the quantity of the coolant tank, which was also mounted atop the wing. About 0753, the airplane departed the ultralight strip ultralight flightpark (4AZ8), Marana, for chapman airstrip (58AZ), young, Arizona. When the airplane had been in flight for about 14 minutes, and was at an altitude of about 6,000 feet above mean sea level (MSL), the passenger noticed an odor that appeared to be engine coolant. The pilot checked his engine instrumentation and observed that the engine coolant and oil temperature gauges registered excessively high values. He reducedthe throttle to idle and executed a 180-degree turn for a planned precautionary landing on RUNWAY12 at mzj. When the airplane was about 3,500 feet north of the threshold, the pilot determined that he would not be able to reach the runway. When the airplane was just above a dry, fenced in water containment basin, the pilot realized that the fence would prevent him from reaching a paved ramp on the airport property. He made a sharp turn to the right about 10-20 feet above the ground, and allowed the airplane to stall onto the flat earthen floor of the basin. The airplane impacted right wing down, and sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot and passenger exited normally after the pilot shut down the engine. According to the pilot, he was the third owner of the kit-built airplane. The airplane and engine had accumulated approximately 440 hours total time in service. The pilot reported a total flight experience of 307 hours, including about 250 hours in the accident airplane make and model. Automated weather observations from surrounding airports about the time of the accident included calm winds; clear skies; temperatures about 16 degrees c; and dew points about minus 7 degrees c.
As the FAA filed it
ON APRIL 16, 2011, ABOUT 0805 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR-BUILT RANS S-12S AIRPLANE, N107JL, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING AN ATTEMPTED PRECAUTIONARY LANDING AT PINAL AIRPARK (KMZJ), MARANA, ARIZONA. THE PRECAUTIONARY LANDING WAS PROMPTED BY AN ENGINE OVER-TEMPERATURE EVENT. THE PILOT/OWNER AND HIS PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS OPERATED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE AIRPLANE WAS A HIGH-WING PUSHER CONFIGURATION, WITH THE PARTIALLY LIQUID-COOLED ROTAX ENGINE MOUNTED ATOP THE CABIN AND WING. PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT, HE FUELED THE AIRPLANE SO THAT THE ONBOARD FUEL QUANTITY WAS 2 GALLONS LESS THAN THE TOTAL CAPACITY OF 18 GALLONS. HE THEN CONDUCTED A PREFLIGHT INSPECTION WITHOUT THE AID OF A CHECKLIST, BUT DID NOT CHECK THE QUANTITY OF THE COOLANT TANK, WHICH WAS ALSO MOUNTED ATOP THE WING. ABOUT 0753, THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED THE ULTRALIGHT STRIP ULTRALIGHT FLIGHTPARK (4AZ8), MARANA, FOR CHAPMAN AIRSTRIP (58AZ), YOUNG, ARIZONA. WHEN THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN IN FLIGHT FOR ABOUT 14 MINUTES, AND WAS AT AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 6,000 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL), THE PASSENGER NOTICED AN ODOR THAT APPEARED TO BE ENGINE COOLANT. THE PILOT CHECKED HIS ENGINE INSTRUMENTATION AND OBSERVED THAT THE ENGINE COOLANT AND OIL TEMPERATURE GAUGES REGISTERED EXCESSIVELY HIGH VALUES. HE REDUCEDTHE THROTTLE TO IDLE AND EXECUTED A 180-DEGREE TURN FOR A PLANNED PRECAUTIONARY LANDING ON RUNWAY12 AT MZJ. WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS ABOUT 3,500 FEET NORTH OF THE THRESHOLD, THE PILOT DETERMINED THAT HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO REACH THE RUNWAY. WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS JUST ABOVE A DRY, FENCED IN WATER CONTAINMENT BASIN, THE PILOT REALIZED THAT THE FENCE WOULD PREVENT HIM FROM REACHING A PAVED RAMP ON THE AIRPORT PROPERTY. HE MADE A SHARP TURN TO THE RIGHT ABOUT 10-20 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, AND ALLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO STALL ONTO THE FLAT EARTHEN FLOOR OF THE BASIN. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED RIGHT WING DOWN, AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO BOTH WINGS. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER EXITED NORMALLY AFTER THE PILOT SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE WAS THE THIRD OWNER OF THE KIT-BUILT AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE AND ENGINE HAD ACCUMULATED APPROXIMATELY 440 HOURS TOTAL TIME IN SERVICE. THE PILOT REPORTED A TOTAL FLIGHT EXPERIENCE OF 307 HOURS, INCLUDING ABOUT 250 HOURS IN THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE MAKE AND MODEL.AUTOMATED WEATHER OBSERVATIONS FROM SURROUNDING AIRPORTS ABOUT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT INCLUDED CALM WINDS; CLEAR SKIES; TEMPERATURES ABOUT 16 DEGREES C; AND DEW POINTS ABOUT MINUS 7 DEGREES C.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.