ATL97LA053

The pilot reported that takeoff and climb to 2000 feet were normal. He said that about 20 minutes after takeoff, smoke filled the cockpit. He also noticed that the engine tachometer needle had dropped to zero and the engine had lost power. The pilot, selected a nearby field for an emergency landing. The airplane collided with two trees short of the intended touchdown point. Examination of the airplane disclosed that the engine was equipped with a dual electronic ignition system. Two three-ohm coils were to have been installed on the engine (at the manufacturer) as the ignition source instead of magnetos. Examination of the coil assemblies disclosed that both assemblies had shorted and that they were not functional. Subsequent research disclosed that the three-ohm coils also require the installation of a two-ohm ballast resistor into the ignition system. No ballast resistors were installed on N301A. Also, no airworthiness certificate had been issued for this airplane.

On April 1, 1997, at 1622 central standard time, a Catchot Hauler, an experimental airplane, N301A, collided with trees during an emergency landing in a field near Centerville, Alabama. The personal flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the commercial rated pilot received minor injuries. The flight departed Bessemer, Alabama, at 1600.

The airplane owner had taken N301A to Bessemer, where he had contracted for another builder of the Hauler airplanes to custom build the engine cowling. Since the airplane owner was a low flight time pilot, a friend, with more flight experience agreed to fly the airplane back to Wiggins, Mississippi, after the work was completed.

The pilot reported that the takeoff and the climb to 2000 feet were normal; all systems also appeared to have been operating normally. Approximately twenty minutes after takeoff, the pilot stated that smoke filled the cockpit. The pilot also noticed that the engine tachometer needle had dropped to zero; within one minute, the engine quit. After attempting to clear the cockpit of the smoke, and attempting to isolate the source of the smoke, the pilot, selected a nearby field for an emergency landing. The pilot established a final approach to the field. The airplane collided with two trees short of the intended touchdown point.

An examination of the airplane disclosed that the engine was equipped with a dual electronic ignition system. Two three ohm coils were installed on the engine from the manufacturer as the ignition source instead of magnetos. Examination the coils assemblies disclosed that both assemblies had electrical shorts, and they were not functional. Subsequent research by the owner, disclosed that the three ohm coils also require the installation of a two ohms ballast resistor into the ignition system. No ballast resistors were installed on N301A. An airworthiness certificate had not been issued for the airplane.