- Date
- March 12, 1997, 16:25 local (Mar 13, 1997, 00:25 UTC)
- Place
- Camp Pendelton, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N48RWColumbia XJ-7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 14, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970313003059A
- Case key
- 29742
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
loss of engine power due to an undetermined cause or causes.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot experienced a partial engine failure about 20 minutes after takeoff and made an off airport emergency landing. After touchdown, the aircraft encountered a ditch and nosed over onto its back. An inspection of the aircraft revealed throttle movement in the cockpit did not produce corresponding movement of the butterfly valve in the carburetor throat. The carburetor is designed, however, to automatically go to 80 percent power in the event of a mechanical throttle linkage separation. This was the first flight after an annual safety condition inspection. A review of the aircraft logbooks did not reveal any discrepancies. A final attempt by the operator to diagnose the cause of the engine failure was unsuccessful.
Factual narrative
On March 12, 1997, at 1625 hours Pacific standard time, a Columbia XJ-7, N48RW, collided with soft terrain and nosed over while attempting an off airport forced landing at Camp Pendelton, California. The aircraft sustained substantial damage; however, the pilot and mechanic were not injured. The aircraft was being operated as a maintenance test flight by R. W. Martin, Inc., when the accident occurred. The flight originated in Carlsbad, California, at 1605. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot stated that he experienced a partial engine failure about 20 minutes after takeoff. He notified McClellan-Palomar tower that he was making a forced landing near Las Pulgas Road, west of Interstate 5. After touching down in an open grassy area, the hull dug into rain-softened terrain and the aircraft nosed over onto its back. The accident site was located within a restricted area of Camp Pendelton Marine Base at 33 degrees 18 minutes north latitude by 117 degrees 28 minutes west longitude. This was the aircraft's first flight after an annual safety condition inspection.
An inspection of the aircraft by FAA inspectors revealed throttle movement in the cockpit did not produce corresponding movement of the butterfly valve in the carburetor throat. The throttle linkage did not show evidence of impact damage. The operator reported that the carburetor is designed to automatically go to 80 percent power in the event there is a mechanical separation in the throttle linkage. A review of the aircraft logbooks did not reveal any discrepancies.
A final attempt by the operator to diagnose the cause of the engine failure was unsuccessful.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48RW
- Reported as
- Columbia XJ-7
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31399
- Airframe hours
- 156
- Engine
- Curtis Wright 1820-86, 1,425 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- R. W. Martin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 10, 1997
- Departed
- CRQ · Carlsbad, CA
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 12,000 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CRQ, 16 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.