# NTSB LAX04LA292: American Champion 7ECA, N11037, Manchester, CA, August 15, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 15, 2004, 13:00 local (20:00 UTC) - Place: Manchester, CA - Coordinates: 39.012779, -123.382774 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.0128&lon=-123.3828&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 20, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 59908 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX04LA292 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/59908/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04LA292 ## Probable cause maintenance personnel's failure to adequately torque the top spark plug on the number one cylinder, which resulted in a separation of that plug and a loss of engine power. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - mech failure/malf, cruise - maintenance - inadequate, other maintenance personnel (cause) - ignition system,spark plug - undertorqued (cause) - ignition system,spark plug - missing (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - In flight collision with object, emergency descent/landing - object - wire,transmission - In flight collision with terrain/water, emergency descent/landing - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The airplane collided with transmission wires and terrain during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot said that while in cruise flight, the engine began a serve vibration and then "exploded." The pilot maneuvered the airplane in a gliding configuration and selected a field to execute a forced landing. While on a final approach to the selected landing surface, the airplane collided with transmission lines and continued to descend toward the field, touching down hard. The top spark plug was absent from the right rear cylinder [the number one cylinder] and several ignition leads were loose. The engine had undergone an annual inspection 1.97 hours prior to the accident. The pilot opined that the accident could have been prevented if the spark plug had been tightened or properly torqued. ## Factual narrative On August 15, 2004, about 1300 Pacific daylight time, an American 7ECA, N11037, collided with transmission wires and terrain during a forced landing near Manchester, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight, and no flight plan had been filed. The local area flight originated from Little River Airport, Little River, California, about 1230. In a written statement, the pilot reported that while in cruise flight the engine "exploded." He manipulated the throttle and discovered that the airplane would vibrate severely when the engine's revolutions per minute (rpm) increase above 1,500. He maneuvered the airplane in a gliding configuration and selected a field to execute a forced landing. As the airplane approached the field, on the pilot's predetermined final approach, the pilot noticed transmission lines in the immediate flight path. The airplane collided with transmission lines and continued to descend toward the field. Upon touchdown, the airplane hit hard, coming to rest 500 feet from the initial impact. During a telephone conversation with a National Transportation Safety Board investigator, the pilot reported that while the airplane was being recovered, he noted that the top spark plug was missing from the right rear cylinder [the number one cylinder] and observed several loose ignition leads on the cylinders. The pilot added in his written statement that the engine had undergone an annual inspection 1.97 hours prior to the accident; the engine had accumulated 58.8 hours since the remanufacture preformed by Continental Motors. The pilot thought that the accident could have been prevented if the spark plug had been tightened or properly torqued. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N11037](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N11037-2017-10-27), registration cancelled 2017-10-27, S/N 22, built 1964 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: American Champion (ACAC) 7ECA - Registry model: [American Champion 7ECA](https://openairdocs.org/model/american-champion-7eca) (registry code 2120003) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (registry code 17020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 22 - Airframe hours: 1516.2 - Engines: Continental O-200 Series 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Aerobatic - Last inspection: Annual, July 9, 2004, 1.97 hours before - Departed: O48, Little River, CA - Destination: O48 - Airport: O48, Little River Airport ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 72; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review June 1, 1998; seat: front; flight hours: 1,141 total, 250 in this make and model, 974 as pilot in command, 4 in the last 90 days, 2 in the last 30 days, 0 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 320° at 11 knots, gusting 14 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 86 °F, dew point 43 °F - Altimeter: 29.97 inHg - Observed at: UKI, 27 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20040815018359A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040815018359A), Aug 15, 2004: Bbavia 7ECA, Manchester, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot reported catastrophic engine failure prior to hitting power lines and crashing. Substantial damage to acft. No injuries to sole occupant. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.