What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Initial event report: Melbourne Beach, FL: N3HH, experimental, landed on highway A1A due to engine failure. Landing gear collapsed during landing. POB: 2, injuries: none, damage: extent unknown. 10/13/2018 1619Z.
The PIC reported that the flt had departed okeechobee (obe) at 1115 EDT enroute to valkaria (X59). The engine subsequently quit around 1200 EDT, as the flight was a few miles from X59 while heading northbound over the Beach at about 1,200 feet altitude. The PIC then turned the flight back toward the south and made a forced ldg on two-lane highway A1A after making a brief, unsuccessful attempt to restart the engine. The PIC observed power lines crossing the road while aiming for touchdown in a gap between vehicle traffic, and had to dive the acft under them in a slip to avoid hitting the wires. The acft landed then hard and the ldg gear collapsed upon touchdown. The aircraft slid to a stop near the side of the road after the lt wing contacted a residential mailbox.
The PIC noted that he had purchased 2 gallons of 100LL to add to the existing supply of 93 octane ethanol-free auto fuel before leaving obe, to be sure he had an adequate fuel reserve for the flt to X59. A photograph of a fuel dipstick taken at the accident scene by the pilot per FAA request indicated that several gallons of fuel remained in the wing fuel tank at the time of the accident.
FAA exam of the acft after acft recovery from the accident scene revealed the following: the l & r lower structural longerons behind the aft cabin and main ldg gear were deformed upward about 1 to 2 inches, and the nose gear strut was collapsed aft. The main ldg gear had also collapsed, after the support bungees had failed and separated during the ldg. One of the prop blades was also damaged at the tip.
Further exam of the acft and fuel system revealed that several gallons of what appeared to be auto fuel remaining in the wing fuel tank, and that the 2-stroke engine oil reservoir was about half full of oil. No evidence of contamination was present in the fuel filters or dual carburetor fuel bowls. Operation of the electric fuel boost pump delivered a fuel flow to the engine carburetors. An attempt was then made to start the engine, and it started almost immediately and ran smoothly for several minutes. During the test run, the PIC increased power to about 4,000 RPM and the engine accelerated smoothly without hesitation. CHT and EGT indications were normal. No attempt was made to run the engine to full power due to the prop damage and the confined area where the engine test run took place. An operational check of the dual ignition system revealed a normal RPM drop when each system was selected individually.
Further examination of the engine at a later date is pending, as directed by the NTSB iic.
As the FAA filed it
INITIAL EVENT REPORT: MELBOURNE BEACH, FL: N3HH, EXPERIMENTAL, LANDED ON HIGHWAY A1A DUE TO ENGINE FAILURE. LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED DURING LANDING. POB: 2, INJURIES: NONE, DAMAGE: EXTENT UNKNOWN. 10/13/2018 1619Z.
THE PIC REPORTED THAT THE FLT HAD DEPARTED OKEECHOBEE (OBE) AT 1115 EDT ENROUTE TO VALKARIA (X59). THE ENGINE SUBSEQUENTLY QUIT AROUND 1200 EDT, AS THE FLIGHT WAS A FEW MILES FROM X59 WHILE HEADING NORTHBOUND OVER THE BEACH AT ABOUT 1,200 FEET ALTITUDE. THE PIC THEN TURNED THE FLIGHT BACK TOWARD THE SOUTH AND MADE A FORCED LDG ON TWO-LANE HIGHWAY A1A AFTER MAKING A BRIEF, UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO RESTART THE ENGINE. THE PIC OBSERVED POWER LINES CROSSING THE ROAD WHILE AIMING FOR TOUCHDOWN IN A GAP BETWEEN VEHICLE TRAFFIC, AND HAD TO DIVE THE ACFT UNDER THEM IN A SLIP TO AVOID HITTING THE WIRES. THE ACFT LANDED THEN HARD AND THE LDG GEAR COLLAPSED UPON TOUCHDOWN. THE AIRCRAFT SLID TO A STOP NEAR THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AFTER THE LT WING CONTACTED A RESIDENTIAL MAILBOX.
THE PIC NOTED THAT HE HAD PURCHASED 2 GALLONS OF 100LL TO ADD TO THE EXISTING SUPPLY OF 93 OCTANE ETHANOL-FREE AUTO FUEL BEFORE LEAVING OBE, TO BE SURE HE HAD AN ADEQUATE FUEL RESERVE FOR THE FLT TO X59. A PHOTOGRAPH OF A FUEL DIPSTICK TAKEN AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE BY THE PILOT PER FAA REQUEST INDICATED THAT SEVERAL GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINED IN THE WING FUEL TANK AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
FAA EXAM OF THE ACFT AFTER ACFT RECOVERY FROM THE ACCIDENT SCENE REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE L & R LOWER STRUCTURAL LONGERONS BEHIND THE AFT CABIN AND MAIN LDG GEAR WERE DEFORMED UPWARD ABOUT 1 TO 2 INCHES, AND THE NOSE GEAR STRUT WAS COLLAPSED AFT. THE MAIN LDG GEAR HAD ALSO COLLAPSED, AFTER THE SUPPORT BUNGEES HAD FAILED AND SEPARATED DURING THE LDG. ONE OF THE PROP BLADES WAS ALSO DAMAGED AT THE TIP.
FURTHER EXAM OF THE ACFT AND FUEL SYSTEM REVEALED THAT SEVERAL GALLONS OF WHAT APPEARED TO BE AUTO FUEL REMAINING IN THE WING FUEL TANK, AND THAT THE 2-STROKE ENGINE OIL RESERVOIR WAS ABOUT HALF FULL OF OIL. NO EVIDENCE OF CONTAMINATION WAS PRESENT IN THE FUEL FILTERS OR DUAL CARBURETOR FUEL BOWLS. OPERATION OF THE ELECTRIC FUEL BOOST PUMP DELIVERED A FUEL FLOW TO THE ENGINE CARBURETORS. AN ATTEMPT WAS THEN MADE TO START THE ENGINE, AND IT STARTED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AND RAN SMOOTHLY FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. DURING THE TEST RUN, THE PIC INCREASED POWER TO ABOUT 4,000 RPM AND THE ENGINE ACCELERATED SMOOTHLY WITHOUT HESITATION. CHT AND EGT INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL. NO ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO RUN THE ENGINE TO FULL POWER DUE TO THE PROP DAMAGE AND THE CONFINED AREA WHERE THE ENGINE TEST RUN TOOK PLACE. AN OPERATIONAL CHECK OF THE DUAL IGNITION SYSTEM REVEALED A NORMAL RPM DROP WHEN EACH SYSTEM WAS SELECTED INDIVIDUALLY.
FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE AT A LATER DATE IS PENDING, AS DIRECTED BY THE NTSB IIC.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N3HH · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.