- Date
- March 21, 1993, 11:42 local (16:42 UTC)
- Place
- Naples, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N218MCChristen Industries Pitts S1-T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 10, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930321005679A
- Case key
- 33243
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 installation of an improper designed intake tube and air filter by the nonmechanic rated pilot-in-command, which resulted in moisture build up and collapse of the air filter, which resulted in blockage of air flow to the engine and loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain airspeed and flare properly during a forced landing.
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, who does not hold an airframe or powerplant mechanic's license stated he installed a straight air intake tube on his aircraft. This tube did not have any means for alternate air or filtering of incoming air. He further modified the tube by installing a screen and a piece of air filtering material in the tube. During the first takeoff after the modification the aircraft climbed to 200 feet, at which time the manifold pressure dropped and the engine lost power. He was unable to maintain altitude and the aircraft touched down hard on the runway and nosed over inverted. Postcrash examination and testing of the intake tube was performed by an FAA inspector. When a vacuum cleaner was attached to the engine side of the intake tube and turned on the air flow through the tube was normal for several minutes. After this, moisture built up on the air filtering material and the filter collapsed. The vacuum cleaner then began to strain due to lack of air flow.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N218MC
- Reported as
- Christen Industries Pitts S1-T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1041
- Airframe hours
- 470
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cutshaw, Michael H.
- Registered owner
- Cutshaw, Michael H.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 20, 1992 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- APF
- Airport
- APF · Naples Municipal, runway 4, 5,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 38
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 14,000 total · 350 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- APF, 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.