CEN16LA353

The private pilot reported that the experimental, amateur-built airplane inadvertently became airborne during a high-speed taxi test. Two witnesses said that the airplane was in level flight about 200 ft above ground level and heading toward a tree line when the engine lost power. The airplane abruptly nosed straight down, struck a backyard playground set and hickory trees, and impacted the ground. The airplane came to rest upright about 5 ft from the initial impact crater and about 1/2 mile from the departure end of the pilot's private runway. The engine was not examined, and the pilot did not respond to inquiries regarding the accident.

On September 4, 2016, about 1940 eastern daylight time, a Stanton DR-1, an amateur-built replica of a Fokker Triplane, N500PY, was substantially damage when the engine lost power and collided with objects and terrain near Plain City, Ohio. The pilot was seriously injured. There were no ground injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot had been building the airplane for several years. For several months, he been conducting taxi tests in preparation for its maiden flight. He told a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that the airplane inadvertently became airborne during his last high-speed taxi test. Witnesses saw the airplane in level flight about 200 feet above ground level and headed towards a tree line when the engine lost power. The airplane abruptly nosed straight down, struck a backyard playground set and hickory trees, and impacted the ground. FAA inspectors said the airplane came to rest upright about five feet from the initial impact crater and about one-half mile from the departure end of the pilot's private runway. There was a slight fuel leak but no fire. The inspectors were unable to determine why the engine lost power. The pilot did not respond to inquiries.