What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The Valdosta regional airport air traffic control tower received an emergency declaration due to an engine failure. Pilot reported engine failure eight miles southwest of vld and subsequently performed an emergency landing in a farm field, two miles southwest of vld. Upon final approach to the emergency landing field, the aircraft struck a powerline. Inspection at the accident site revealed the power line was wrapped around the left main landing gear, pulled through the left wing, cut through the right wing, and also wrapped around and pulled through the empennage, rendering the vertical and horizontal controls unusable. The aircraft impacted the ground and came to rest inverted, facing 180 degrees from the direction of travel. Continuity of flight controls could not be determined, due to heavy damage from the powerline, separated horizontal stab, and the separated right wing and aileron. Fuel was observed dripping from the left wing fuel tank and center fuel tank; quantity could not be determined due to aircraft being inverted. Neither the propeller or nose cone showed evidence of the aircraft making power at the time of the accident.
Pilot stated that during the flight, he was electrically switching the ignition system from one distributor to the other to note differences in performance. It was at that time that he experienced the engine failure.
Post accident investigation revealed the cam gear key way was sheared and the gear had slipped rotationally on the crankshaft approximately thirty degrees out of proper timing. It is believed that the shock of switching between the ignition systems may have been the cause of the sheared key.
Known damage includes broken main left landing gear, separated right main landing gear, two of the three propeller blades broken, smashed nose cone, broken engine mounts, cowling heavily damaged, damaged cockpit hatch, fuselage broken in half aft of cockpit, right wing separated from fuselage and broken, left wing heavily damaged, vertical stabilizer damaged, and horizontal stabilizer torn from empennage.
Note: this accident is still under investigation by the FAA and NTSB, and this report may be amended when more information becomes available.
As the FAA filed it
THE VALDOSTA REGIONAL AIRPORT AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER RECEIVED AN EMERGENCY DECLARATION DUE TO AN ENGINE FAILURE. PILOT REPORTED ENGINE FAILURE EIGHT MILES SOUTHWEST OF VLD AND SUBSEQUENTLY PERFORMED AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FARM FIELD, TWO MILES SOUTHWEST OF VLD. UPON FINAL APPROACH TO THE EMERGENCY LANDING FIELD, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A POWERLINE. INSPECTION AT THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THE POWER LINE WAS WRAPPED AROUND THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR, PULLED THROUGH THE LEFT WING, CUT THROUGH THE RIGHT WING, AND ALSO WRAPPED AROUND AND PULLED THROUGH THE EMPENNAGE, RENDERING THE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL CONTROLS UNUSABLE. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND AND CAME TO REST INVERTED, FACING 180 DEGREES FROM THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL. CONTINUITY OF FLIGHT CONTROLS COULD NOT BE DETERMINED, DUE TO HEAVY DAMAGE FROM THE POWERLINE, SEPARATED HORIZONTAL STAB, AND THE SEPARATED RIGHT WING AND AILERON. FUEL WAS OBSERVED DRIPPING FROM THE LEFT WING FUEL TANK AND CENTER FUEL TANK; QUANTITY COULD NOT BE DETERMINED DUE TO AIRCRAFT BEING INVERTED. NEITHER THE PROPELLER OR NOSE CONE SHOWED EVIDENCE OF THE AIRCRAFT MAKING POWER AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
PILOT STATED THAT DURING THE FLIGHT, HE WAS ELECTRICALLY SWITCHING THE IGNITION SYSTEM FROM ONE DISTRIBUTOR TO THE OTHER TO NOTE DIFFERENCES IN PERFORMANCE. IT WAS AT THAT TIME THAT HE EXPERIENCED THE ENGINE FAILURE.
POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE CAM GEAR KEY WAY WAS SHEARED AND THE GEAR HAD SLIPPED ROTATIONALLY ON THE CRANKSHAFT APPROXIMATELY THIRTY DEGREES OUT OF PROPER TIMING. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE SHOCK OF SWITCHING BETWEEN THE IGNITION SYSTEMS MAY HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE OF THE SHEARED KEY.
KNOWN DAMAGE INCLUDES BROKEN MAIN LEFT LANDING GEAR, SEPARATED RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR, TWO OF THE THREE PROPELLER BLADES BROKEN, SMASHED NOSE CONE, BROKEN ENGINE MOUNTS, COWLING HEAVILY DAMAGED, DAMAGED COCKPIT HATCH, FUSELAGE BROKEN IN HALF AFT OF COCKPIT, RIGHT WING SEPARATED FROM FUSELAGE AND BROKEN, LEFT WING HEAVILY DAMAGED, VERTICAL STABILIZER DAMAGED, AND HORIZONTAL STABILIZER TORN FROM EMPENNAGE.
NOTE: THIS ACCIDENT IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE FAA AND NTSB, AND THIS REPORT MAY BE AMENDED WHEN MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.