# Accident 20181013019919A: Long Charles Jackson AVID FLYER, Melbourne Beach, FL, October 13, 2018 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: October 13, 2018, 12:19 local time - Place: Melbourne Beach, FL - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 27.9349° N, 80.6079° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.9349&lon=-80.6079&mi=10 - Aircraft: N3HH, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3HH) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Long Charles Jackson AVID FLYER (registry code 05620BC, https://openairdocs.org/model/long-charles-jackson-avid-flyer) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Bombardier ROTAX (ALL) (registry code 09050, https://openairdocs.org/engine/bombardier-rotax-all) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: LONG CHARLES JACKSON AVID FLYER - Reported engine: BOMBARDIER ROTAX 582 - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Private pilot - Pilot flight hours: 112 total, 13 in this make and model, 19 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA19LA015](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19LA015) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20181013019919A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. 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. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ERA19LA015](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19LA015), Oct 13, 2018: Avid Avid Flyer (N3HH), Grant-Valkaria, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: A total loss of engine power due to a carburetor malfunction, which resulted in a forced landing. ## Other reports on N3HH (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20230803014579A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230803014579A), Aug 3, 2023: Long Charles Jackson AVID FLYER (N3HH), Wetumpka, AL, Substantial damage. On August 3, 2023, at approximately 0635 EST, the aircraft departed central Florida to relocate the aircraft to Alabama. The flight was 442 statute miles with… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.