- Date
- March 16, 2008, 18:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Rayle, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- UNREGQuad City Ultralight Challenger I
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- Case key
- 67704
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
A loss of engine power during cruise flight for undetermined reasons.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The non-certificated pilot was flying an unregistered amateur built Quad City Challenger I in cruise flight when the engine "stopped cold." During the forced landing, the airplane struck a power line, and sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The airplane was equipped with a non-certificated Rotax 503 engine. The pilot inspected the contents of the fuel tank, and found no contamination. He removed the fuel bowls from the engine's dual carburetors and found them to be full of fuel. He was able to rotate the engine by hand and believed the engine stoppage was caused by an ignition failure.
Factual narrative
The non-certificated pilot reported flying the unregistered amateur built Quad City Challenger I at 1,300 feet msl, when the engine "stopped cold." During the forced landing, the airplane struck a power line, and sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot inspected the contents of the fuel tank, and found no contamination. He removed the fuel bowls from the engine's dual carburetors and found them to be full of fuel. He was able to rotate the engine by hand and believed the engine stoppage was caused by an ignition failure. The Challenger I was an ultralight-type aircraft equipped with a Rotax 503 engine. The Rotax 503 Operators Manual stated, "This engine, by its design, is subject to sudden stoppage. Engine stoppage can result in crash landings, forced landings or no power landings. . . . This is not a certified engine. It has not received any safety or durability testing, and conforms to no aircraft standards."
Aircraft
- Registration
- UNREG
- Reported as
- Quad City Ultralight Challenger I
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 0200-CHI-0739
- Airframe hours
- 6
- Engine
- Rotax 503, 50 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William A Bunch
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · March 1, 2008 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- IIY · Washington, GA
- Airport
- IIY · Washington-Wilkes
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 30 total · 6 in this make and model · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- 3J7, 19 nm away