What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The PIC reported the following: the acft engine lost power in cruise flight, which led to a forced landing to the south in an open field. A steep descent angle was needed to clear power lines on the north side of the field. The acft landed hard on an uphill slope and flipped over after traveling a short distance.
Examination of the acft revealed that it had sustained structural damage to the engine firewall, wings, and vertical stabilizer. The nose landing gear was bent and collapsed aft. The composite engine propeller had sustained damage and all three blades were damaged with two of the blades being fractured and separated near the blade hub.
There were no acft registration or operating limitations found in the acft during the on-scene inspection. The pilot was only able to provide a temporary registration slip that was completed in 2015 when asked about the missing paperwork.
Subsequent inspection of the aircraft at ded arpt revealed the following: the acft engine was equipped with an ecu-controlled electronic ignition system that is powered by one or both the acft batteries as selected by toggle switches.
Both acft batteries were found to be discharged, with one at .75 volts and the other at about 7 volts. The batteries were then recharged by a battery charger and the engine started and ran normally. The alternator was found to be charging normally with bus voltage greater than 13.5 volts when the key switch was in the on position.
None of the switches or controls in the cockpit were marked or placarded as to their function. There was also no alternator warning lamp installed anywhere on the panel.
The pilot was asked if he may have left the key switch that powers the alternator field in the ?off? Position by mistake. He stated that he could not remember for sure. The pilot was then asked if a takeoff/run up checklist or pilot operating manual was used before the take-off. He stated that he does not have or use one.
Current experimental acft operating limitations could not be located in the acft records made available by the PIC during the above inspection at ded. The previous owners operating limitations (based at X50, massey air ranch, instead of ded the current base) were being utilized by the current operator. Additionally, the PIC was unable to locate the current registration card which had been issued to the current owner in 2015 according to FAA records. That registration had an expiry date of 09/30/2018, and there is no record indicating that the owner has applied to the FAA to renew that registration.
As the FAA filed it
THE PIC REPORTED THE FOLLOWING: THE ACFT ENGINE LOST POWER IN CRUISE FLIGHT, WHICH LED TO A FORCED LANDING TO THE SOUTH IN AN OPEN FIELD. A STEEP DESCENT ANGLE WAS NEEDED TO CLEAR POWER LINES ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE FIELD. THE ACFT LANDED HARD ON AN UPHILL SLOPE AND FLIPPED OVER AFTER TRAVELING A SHORT DISTANCE.
EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT REVEALED THAT IT HAD SUSTAINED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE FIREWALL, WINGS, AND VERTICAL STABILIZER. THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS BENT AND COLLAPSED AFT. THE COMPOSITE ENGINE PROPELLER HAD SUSTAINED DAMAGE AND ALL THREE BLADES WERE DAMAGED WITH TWO OF THE BLADES BEING FRACTURED AND SEPARATED NEAR THE BLADE HUB.
THERE WERE NO ACFT REGISTRATION OR OPERATING LIMITATIONS FOUND IN THE ACFT DURING THE ON-SCENE INSPECTION. THE PILOT WAS ONLY ABLE TO PROVIDE A TEMPORARY REGISTRATION SLIP THAT WAS COMPLETED IN 2015 WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE MISSING PAPERWORK.
SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AT DED ARPT REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE ACFT ENGINE WAS EQUIPPED WITH AN ECU-CONTROLLED ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM THAT IS POWERED BY ONE OR BOTH THE ACFT BATTERIES AS SELECTED BY TOGGLE SWITCHES.
BOTH ACFT BATTERIES WERE FOUND TO BE DISCHARGED, WITH ONE AT .75 VOLTS AND THE OTHER AT ABOUT 7 VOLTS. THE BATTERIES WERE THEN RECHARGED BY A BATTERY CHARGER AND THE ENGINE STARTED AND RAN NORMALLY. THE ALTERNATOR WAS FOUND TO BE CHARGING NORMALLY WITH BUS VOLTAGE GREATER THAN 13.5 VOLTS WHEN THE KEY SWITCH WAS IN THE ON POSITION.
NONE OF THE SWITCHES OR CONTROLS IN THE COCKPIT WERE MARKED OR PLACARDED AS TO THEIR FUNCTION. THERE WAS ALSO NO ALTERNATOR WARNING LAMP INSTALLED ANYWHERE ON THE PANEL.
THE PILOT WAS ASKED IF HE MAY HAVE LEFT THE KEY SWITCH THAT POWERS THE ALTERNATOR FIELD IN THE ?OFF? POSITION BY MISTAKE. HE STATED THAT HE COULD NOT REMEMBER FOR SURE. THE PILOT WAS THEN ASKED IF A TAKEOFF/RUN UP CHECKLIST OR PILOT OPERATING MANUAL WAS USED BEFORE THE TAKE-OFF. HE STATED THAT HE DOES NOT HAVE OR USE ONE.
CURRENT EXPERIMENTAL ACFT OPERATING LIMITATIONS COULD NOT BE LOCATED IN THE ACFT RECORDS MADE AVAILABLE BY THE PIC DURING THE ABOVE INSPECTION AT DED. THE PREVIOUS OWNERS OPERATING LIMITATIONS (BASED AT X50, MASSEY AIR RANCH, INSTEAD OF DED THE CURRENT BASE) WERE BEING UTILIZED BY THE CURRENT OPERATOR. ADDITIONALLY, THE PIC WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE CURRENT REGISTRATION CARD WHICH HAD BEEN ISSUED TO THE CURRENT OWNER IN 2015 ACCORDING TO FAA RECORDS. THAT REGISTRATION HAD AN EXPIRY DATE OF 09/30/2018, AND THERE IS NO RECORD INDICATING THAT THE OWNER HAS APPLIED TO THE FAA TO RENEW THAT REGISTRATION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.