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20150718012469A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Briggs John A Aventura II · Fenton, MI · July 18, 2015

FAA Aviation Safety Information PortalNTSB investigation search

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Date
July 18, 2015 · 19:30 local
Place
Fenton, MI
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N1204A
Reported as
Briggs John A Aventura II
Reported engine
ROTAX 582
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
32 total8 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

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.

Inspected the aircraft at Fenton towing impound yard. The engine was found to have adequate fuel, oil and coolant. Both cylinders produced compression rotating the engine thru by hand. Spark plugs were visually checked and appeared normal. The fuel supply line to the forward carburetor was found to be cracked thru about half way around the diameter just slightly outboard of the carburetor fuel nipple. Closer examination of the hose revealed fuel staining thru the crack which indicates prior leakage and air intrusion into the fuel system. The remaining fuel supply hoses were also observed to have several cracks. The aircraft sustained substantial damage from the accident. The tail surfaces are broken off and the forward fuselage/hull is broken with a fairly large hole in the side.

Pilot provided a written statement detailing the events of the accident and FAA inspectors also conducted a personal interview. His written and verbal statement detailed taking off and experiencing an engine power reduction at about 400' AGL. He then evaluated the landing options and decided to put the aircraft into a patch of trees next to the lake. This aircraft has a ballistic parachute that was manually deployed by the pilot at tree top level just prior to impact. Pilot also had a video taken from the aircraft during the accident that provided visual and audio. The video confirmed pilots statement that the engine started running rough and losing power at about 400' AGL.

As the FAA filed it

INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT AT FENTON TOWING IMPOUND YARD. THE ENGINE WAS FOUND TO HAVE ADEQUATE FUEL, OIL AND COOLANT. BOTH CYLINDERS PRODUCED COMPRESSION ROTATING THE ENGINE THRU BY HAND. SPARK PLUGS WERE VISUALLY CHECKED AND APPEARED NORMAL. THE FUEL SUPPLY LINE TO THE FORWARD CARBURETOR WAS FOUND TO BE CRACKED THRU ABOUT HALF WAY AROUND THE DIAMETER JUST SLIGHTLY OUTBOARD OF THE CARBURETOR FUEL NIPPLE. CLOSER EXAMINATION OF THE HOSE REVEALED FUEL STAINING THRU THE CRACK WHICH INDICATES PRIOR LEAKAGE AND AIR INTRUSION INTO THE FUEL SYSTEM. THE REMAINING FUEL SUPPLY HOSES WERE ALSO OBSERVED TO HAVE SEVERAL CRACKS. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE FROM THE ACCIDENT. THE TAIL SURFACES ARE BROKEN OFF AND THE FORWARD FUSELAGE/HULL IS BROKEN WITH A FAIRLY LARGE HOLE IN THE SIDE.

PILOT PROVIDED A WRITTEN STATEMENT DETAILING THE EVENTS OF THE ACCIDENT AND FAA INSPECTORS ALSO CONDUCTED A PERSONAL INTERVIEW. HIS WRITTEN AND VERBAL STATEMENT DETAILED TAKING OFF AND EXPERIENCING AN ENGINE POWER REDUCTION AT ABOUT 400' AGL. HE THEN EVALUATED THE LANDING OPTIONS AND DECIDED TO PUT THE AIRCRAFT INTO A PATCH OF TREES NEXT TO THE LAKE. THIS AIRCRAFT HAS A BALLISTIC PARACHUTE THAT WAS MANUALLY DEPLOYED BY THE PILOT AT TREE TOP LEVEL JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT. PILOT ALSO HAD A VIDEO TAKEN FROM THE AIRCRAFT DURING THE ACCIDENT THAT PROVIDED VISUAL AND AUDIO. THE VIDEO CONFIRMED PILOTS STATEMENT THAT THE ENGINE STARTED RUNNING ROUGH AND LOSING POWER AT ABOUT 400' AGL.