SEA06CA107

NTSB accident investigation · Taplin Avid Flyer · Grants Pass, OR · May 28, 2006

Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
May 28, 2006, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
Place
Grants Pass, OR
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Maneuvering
Aircraft
N537MFTaplin Avid Flyer
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report October 3, 2006
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
20060528008679A
Case key
63776

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The partial loss of engine power for undertermined reasons, resulting in a forced landing and substantial damage to the airplane. A contributing factor was the transmission wire.

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.

Loss of engine power(partial) - mech failure/malfManeuvering - turn to reverse direction
Reason for occurrence undeterminedCause
In flight collision with objectEmergency descent/landing
Object - wire,transmissionFactor
In flight collision with terrain/waterDescent - uncontrolled
Terrain condition - ground

Analysis

During a high speed taxi test the airplane became airborne, subsequently veering too far to the left and too far down the runway to allow the pilot to land. The pilot added full power and initiated a go-around, intending to make left hand traffic back to the runway. While in the pattern and observing and excessive EGT, the pilot reduced power, but in doing so he was unable to complete the turn back to the airport. The pilot elected to over fly the end of the runway and make a right turn back to the airport, but during the right turn he noticed a loss of altitude. The pilot then added full power, but as the engine was not responsive he chose to land in a field south of the runway. During the emergency landing the airplane impacted power lines, coming to rest upright in a parking lot adjacent to the airport.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he was doing multiple high-speed taxis on Runway 30/12 when the airplane became airborne. After becoming airborne off of Runway 30 and veering to the left, the pilot added power in an attempt to bring the airplane back over the runway. However, as he neared the end of the runway and realizing that he didn't have room to land, he initiated a go-around. The pilot stated that after reaching traffic pattern altitude (left hand traffic for Runway 30) and noticing a high exhaust gas temperature reading, he throttled back to aid in engine cooling. Continuing in the traffic pattern at reduced power and in a left turn to Runway 30, the pilot subsequently realized that he wasn't in the proper position to make the runway. The pilot stated that he elected to cross the end of Runway 30 heading east and then make a wide right turn back to the runway. The pilot reported that during the right turn he observed an excessive altitude loss, necessitating a return to full power, but when full power was not fully restored he located a field at the end of the runway for an emergency landing. The pilot stated that on his approach to the field the airplane impacted power lines, which subsequently resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft after coming to rest upright in a parking lot.

Aircraft

Registration
N537MF
Reported as
Taplin Avid Flyer
Category
Airplane, amateur-built
Serial number
957
Engine
Rotax 912UL, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Patrick W. Moore
Registered owner
Patrick W. Moore
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Experimental (Special)
Departed
3S8 · Grants Pass, OR
Destination
3S8 · Grants Pass, OR
Airport
3S8 · Granst Pass Airport, runway 30

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
56
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3
Flight hours
78 total · 0 in this make and model

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.