- Date
- April 22, 1991, 10:53 local (14:53 UTC)
- Place
- Titusville, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N360RRudolph Zeller Lancair
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910422011739A
- Case key
- 32853
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
The use of improper materials for construction of the alternate air door by the aircraft owner/builder resulting in failure and separation of the door which resulted in blockage of air flow to the carburetor and loss of all engine power.
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
Flt experienced total loss of engine power and crashed while attempting a forced landing. Proper fuel quantity was present in acft and engine and there was no evidence to indicate precrash mechanical failure or malfunction of the engine assembly. The carburetor air box alternate air door was found broken off in the air box after the accident and was in a position to block air flow to the carburetor. The door was made by the acft owner/builder out of .032 inch thick metal with a sharp 90 degree bend at the point of failure. The acft plans call for .040 inch metal. The carburetor air box had no impact damage which would have caused the door to fail and marks in the box indicated the door had moved around in the box for sometime.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N360R
- Reported as
- Rudolph Zeller Lancair
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 354
- Airframe hours
- 7
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Zeller, Rudolph
- Registered owner
- Zeller, Rudolph
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 18, 1991 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- COI · Cocoa Beach, FL
- Airport
- TIX · Space Center Executive, runway 36, 6,001 × 150 ft
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
- 62
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 31,500 total · 4 in this make and model · 28,500 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TIX, 1 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.