- Date
- July 23, 2009, 18:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Lee's Summit, MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N51299Corvus Carone MK 1
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern crosswind: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 19, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviaiton Administration
- FAA report
- 20090723014889A
- Case key
- 74385
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The airplane had been defueled and shipped to the airport with its wings removed. The wings were reinstalled and the airplane fueled with 2-3 gallons of fuel for an engine run prior to the pilot's arrival. The pilot taxied the airplane and obtained 19 gallons of fuel prior to departing on a maintenance test flight that was to remain in the traffic pattern to perform multiple touch and go landings prior to departing for another airport. The pilot completed one takeoff and landing and no mechanical anomalies were reported. The pilot then performed a second takeoff during which the airplane experienced a momentary drop in engine power while climbing through 300 feet above ground level followed an additional momentary drop in power while the airplane was on the crosswind leg of the traffic pattern. The engine experienced another drop in engine power and then backfired before experiencing a total loss of power. The pilot then performed a forced landing on a down sloping field with tall grass. Both wing structures were damaged resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot was uninjured.
Factual narrative
The airplane had been defueled and shipped to the airport with its wings removed. The wings were reinstalled and the airplane fueled with 2-3 gallons of fuel for an engine run prior to the pilot's arrival. The pilot taxied the airplane and obtained 19 gallons of fuel prior to departing on a maintenance test flight that was to remain in the traffic pattern to perform multiple touch and go landings prior to departing for another airport. The pilot completed one takeoff and landing and no mechanical anomalies were reported. The pilot then performed a second takeoff during which the airplane experienced a momentary drop in engine power while climbing through 300 feet above ground level followed an additional momentary drop in power while the airplane was on the crosswind leg of the traffic pattern. The engine experienced another drop in engine power and then backfired before experiencing a total loss of power. The pilot then performed a forced landing on a down sloping field with tall grass. Both wing structures were damaged resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot was uninjured.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51299
- Reported as
- Corvus Carone MK 1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- CNE002
- Airframe hours
- 57
- Engine
- Jabiru 3300, 120 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Operator
- Benham Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Benham Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · January 31, 2009
- Departed
- LXT · Lee's Summit, MO
- Destination
- LXT · Lee's Summit, MO
- Airport
- LXT · Lee's Summit Municipal Airport
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 19, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,100 total · 1 in this make and model · 4,667 as pilot in command · 94 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 28, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.