- Date
- June 27, 2010, 09:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Columbia, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N751RMMcGlashan T-51 Mustang
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern downwind: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 18, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100627036309A
- Case key
- 76446
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 approach due to thermal damage to the engine's electronic ignition module. Contributing to the accident was the builder’s placement of the ignition module near the engine’s exhaust.
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 experimental amateur-built airplane had been airborne for approximately 30 minutes on its inaugural flight when the engine stopped producing power. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a field, and during the landing the main landing gear separated from the fuselage, causing the fuselage to wrinkle and bend. Postaccident examination of the engine's electronic ignition module revealed that it was partially melted. The electronic module had been mounted approximately 5 inches from the engine's exhaust pipe due to lack of clearance between the top of the engine and its cowling. The installation manual for the module states that the maximum ambient temperature for the electronic module is 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
Factual narrative
On June 27, 2010, about 0900 Pacific daylight time, a McGlashan T-51 Mustang experimental amateur-built airplane, N751RM, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power while maneuvering near Columbia, California. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The owner/pilot/builder was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight, which departed Pine Mountain Lake Airport, Groveland, California, approximately 30 minutes before the accident. The pilot said that this was the inaugural flight of the airplane. While approaching Columbia Airport for landing, the engine stopped producing power, and he performed a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the main landing gear separated from the fuselage, and the fuselage was wrinkled and bent. Postaccident examination of the engine's electronic ignition module by the pilot revealed that it was partially melted. He reported that the electronic module had been mounted approximately 5 inches from the engine's exhaust pipe due to lack of clearance between the top of the engine and its cowling. The installation manual for the module states that the maximum ambient temperature for the electronic module is 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N751RM
- Reported as
- McGlashan T-51 Mustang
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- MLS08912SOHK0137
- Airframe hours
- 1
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Richard L. McGlashan
- Registered owner
- Richard L. McGlashan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 23, 2010 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- E45 · Groveland, CA
- Destination
- O22 · Columbia, 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
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- January 26, 2010
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,250 total · 3 in this make and model · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.80 inHg
- Observed at
- MOD, 32 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 7, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 676 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.