What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
3/9/16. Pilotprivacy data omitteddepart kptw runway 28, lost engine power during climbout, made right turn and landed hard within the airport boundary approx. 250 yards north of the runway. Pilot was sole occupant and sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries, the aircraft was substantially damaged.
The aircraft was at kptw for an annual inspection. The maintenance provider reports that the aircraft was ground run several times in the course of fixing a starter problem and leak checking other maintenance and that no anomalies were noted. The maintenance provider reports the aircraft was at kptw for about two weeks and was subject to several heavy rain events. The pilot reports that he expected the aircraft to be hangared while it was at kptw. The pilot reports doing a careful preflight ?because it just came out of maintenance? Including checking all fuel sumps. The maintenance provider stated that the pilot was ?in a hurry?, and departed quickly after accepting the aircraft maintenance records and discussing the bill. There is no witness corroboration of the quality or existence of the pilot?s pre-flight inspection.
Witness statements consistently recount a normal sounding takeoff followed by a low altitude power interruption approximately mid field.
Aircraft came to rest upright on an easterly heading with gear retracted and empennage failed to the right. Debris trail is approximately 150 feet from first indication of touchdown approximately 600 feet from the runway centerline at the west midfield taxiway intersection. Left aileron, left elevator counterweight, and small wingtip parts were found in ground scars along debris trail. Ground scars suggest the aircraft touched down approximately 500 feet north of runway heading nnw wings level, approximately 100 feet nnw the right wingtip dug into the ground pivoting the aircraft left, then the left elevator/stabilizer dug in causing the failure of the empennage aft of the avionics bay, the aircraft slid ANOTHER100 feet and came to rest.
All aerodynamic control surfaces are accounted for at the crash site. Aerodynamic control continuity was compromised by impact damage but no pre impact anomalies were found. Witness statements indicate that engine controls (throttle, mixture and prop) were found full forward, fuel pump on, and fuel valve selected to left tank, all as appropriate for takeoff, by first responders. Fuel valve, fuel pump, throttle and mixture were verified to operate properly, propeller control sustained impact damage. Both propeller blades are bent aft 30-60 degrees mid span and show no leading edge damage, consistent with impact with little or no engine power.
3/11/16 During recovery by NTSB recovery and storage contractor anglin associates LLC., samples were taken from the fuel system strainer and both fuel tank sumps. The entire content of the system strainer was water. Substantial quantity of water was also found in the left wing tank (approximately 1 pint). No water was found in the left tank. More than 10 gallons of 100LL avgas was recovered from each wing tank. No anomalies were noted with the external fuel cap seals or sealing surfaces.
Engine testing by NTSB and manufacturer is pending.
As the FAA filed it
3/9/16. PILOT^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^DEPART KPTW RUNWAY 28, LOST ENGINE POWER DURING CLIMBOUT, MADE RIGHT TURN AND LANDED HARD WITHIN THE AIRPORT BOUNDARY APPROX. 250 YARDS NORTH OF THE RUNWAY. PILOT WAS SOLE OCCUPANT AND SUSTAINED SERIOUS BUT NON-LIFE-THREATENING INJURIES, THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED.
THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT KPTW FOR AN ANNUAL INSPECTION. THE MAINTENANCE PROVIDER REPORTS THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS GROUND RUN SEVERAL TIMES IN THE COURSE OF FIXING A STARTER PROBLEM AND LEAK CHECKING OTHER MAINTENANCE AND THAT NO ANOMALIES WERE NOTED. THE MAINTENANCE PROVIDER REPORTS THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT KPTW FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS AND WAS SUBJECT TO SEVERAL HEAVY RAIN EVENTS. THE PILOT REPORTS THAT HE EXPECTED THE AIRCRAFT TO BE HANGARED WHILE IT WAS AT KPTW. THE PILOT REPORTS DOING A CAREFUL PREFLIGHT ?BECAUSE IT JUST CAME OUT OF MAINTENANCE? INCLUDING CHECKING ALL FUEL SUMPS. THE MAINTENANCE PROVIDER STATED THAT THE PILOT WAS ?IN A HURRY?, AND DEPARTED QUICKLY AFTER ACCEPTING THE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE RECORDS AND DISCUSSING THE BILL. THERE IS NO WITNESS CORROBORATION OF THE QUALITY OR EXISTENCE OF THE PILOT?S PRE-FLIGHT INSPECTION.
WITNESS STATEMENTS CONSISTENTLY RECOUNT A NORMAL SOUNDING TAKEOFF FOLLOWED BY A LOW ALTITUDE POWER INTERRUPTION APPROXIMATELY MID FIELD.
AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST UPRIGHT ON AN EASTERLY HEADING WITH GEAR RETRACTED AND EMPENNAGE FAILED TO THE RIGHT. DEBRIS TRAIL IS APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET FROM FIRST INDICATION OF TOUCHDOWN APPROXIMATELY 600 FEET FROM THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE AT THE WEST MIDFIELD TAXIWAY INTERSECTION. LEFT AILERON, LEFT ELEVATOR COUNTERWEIGHT, AND SMALL WINGTIP PARTS WERE FOUND IN GROUND SCARS ALONG DEBRIS TRAIL. GROUND SCARS SUGGEST THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET NORTH OF RUNWAY HEADING NNW WINGS LEVEL, APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET NNW THE RIGHT WINGTIP DUG INTO THE GROUND PIVOTING THE AIRCRAFT LEFT, THEN THE LEFT ELEVATOR/STABILIZER DUG IN CAUSING THE FAILURE OF THE EMPENNAGE AFT OF THE AVIONICS BAY, THE AIRCRAFT SLID ANOTHER100 FEET AND CAME TO REST.
ALL AERODYNAMIC CONTROL SURFACES ARE ACCOUNTED FOR AT THE CRASH SITE. AERODYNAMIC CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS COMPROMISED BY IMPACT DAMAGE BUT NO PRE IMPACT ANOMALIES WERE FOUND. WITNESS STATEMENTS INDICATE THAT ENGINE CONTROLS (THROTTLE, MIXTURE AND PROP) WERE FOUND FULL FORWARD, FUEL PUMP ON, AND FUEL VALVE SELECTED TO LEFT TANK, ALL AS APPROPRIATE FOR TAKEOFF, BY FIRST RESPONDERS. FUEL VALVE, FUEL PUMP, THROTTLE AND MIXTURE WERE VERIFIED TO OPERATE PROPERLY, PROPELLER CONTROL SUSTAINED IMPACT DAMAGE. BOTH PROPELLER BLADES ARE BENT AFT 30-60 DEGREES MID SPAN AND SHOW NO LEADING EDGE DAMAGE, CONSISTENT WITH IMPACT WITH LITTLE OR NO ENGINE POWER.
3/11/16 DURING RECOVERY BY NTSB RECOVERY AND STORAGE CONTRACTOR ANGLIN ASSOCIATES LLC., SAMPLES WERE TAKEN FROM THE FUEL SYSTEM STRAINER AND BOTH FUEL TANK SUMPS. THE ENTIRE CONTENT OF THE SYSTEM STRAINER WAS WATER. SUBSTANTIAL QUANTITY OF WATER WAS ALSO FOUND IN THE LEFT WING TANK (APPROXIMATELY 1 PINT). NO WATER WAS FOUND IN THE LEFT TANK. MORE THAN 10 GALLONS OF 100LL AVGAS WAS RECOVERED FROM EACH WING TANK. NO ANOMALIES WERE NOTED WITH THE EXTERNAL FUEL CAP SEALS OR SEALING SURFACES.
ENGINE TESTING BY NTSB AND MANUFACTURER IS PENDING.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.