ERA17LA122

The airline transport pilot reported that, after takeoff, while the airplane was about 150 ft above ground level, the engine experienced a total loss of power and that he then chose to land straight ahead in a field. The airplane touched down on soft terrain and skidded about 60 ft before coming to rest in the upright position. The firewall and engine mounts were substantially damaged. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. During the engine disassembly, fuel was noted in the throttle body; however, no fuel was found in the fuel manifold. In addition, no water was noted in the fuel system. The pilot stated that he washed the airplane the day before the accident, so it is possible that water entered the fuel system and resulted in a total loss of engine power on takeoff. However, since no water was found in the fuel system (the pilot washed the airplane the previous day), the reason for the loss of power could not be determined.

On March 1, 2017, about 1315 eastern standard time, an Xtremeair GMBH XA42, N342AW, was substantially damaged during a forced landing after takeoff from North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport (F45), West Palm Beach, Florida. The airline transport pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight that was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.According to the pilot, he washed the airplane the day prior to the accident. The accident flight was the first flight of the day, and it had 22 gallons of fuel on board. During takeoff, when the airplane was approximately 150 feet above ground level, the "engine suddenly quit as if the mixture went to idle cutoff." The pilot attempted to restart the engine without success and elected to land the airplane straight ahead in a field. During the landing, the airplane touched down on soft terrain and skidded about 60 feet prior to coming to rest in the upright position. The pilot then egressed from the airplane. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the two-place, conventional gear, low-wing airplane was manufactured in 2015, and was registered to the pilot at that time. It was powered by a Lycoming AEIO-580 series, 315-horsepower engine. According to the engine maintenance logbook, the most recent condition inspection was completed February 28, 2017, at a total time of 321.5 hours, and "was found to be in a condition for safe flight." Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed that the firewall and engine mounts were substantially damaged during the forced landing. Furthermore, all three propeller blade tips were impact damaged. An examination of the engine revealed that crankshaft continuity was confirmed to the accessory section of the engine. Oil was noted throughout the engine. During the accident sequence, dirt and sand filled the fuel injection servo. The fuel injection servo was removed, disassembled, and fuel was noted in the throttle body. There was no debris in the fuel screen. The spark plugs were removed, and corrosion was noted on them. In addition, they were all light grey in color and exhibited normal wear when compared to the Champion Check-a-Plug chart. The fuel manifold was disassembled, and no fuel was noted inside. The diaphragm was intact, and no anomalies were noted. The engine driven fuel pump was removed and could be rotated by hand. Throughout the examination no water was noted in the engine. Furthermore, the engine had no mechanical failures or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation prior to the accident. When asked what the pilot thought happened, he stated that he had washed the airplane the day prior to the accident flight, and water might have entered the air intake and fuel injection servo on the engine. Subsequently, the water entered into the fuel system, and "resulted in the loss of power on takeoff."