- Date
- September 10, 2016, 09:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bisbee, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6162YMccluskey Challenger II
- Defining event
- Enroute-climb to cruise: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20160910016419A
- Case key
- 93998
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 total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
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 pilot performed touch-and-go landings and go-arounds, then flew about two miles from the airport to practice stalls. After performing three stalls, he was climbing the airplane through 800 ft above ground level and returning toward the airport when the engine lost total power. The pilot established best glide speed and attempted to restart the engine to no avail. He made a left turn toward a nearby road, but when he tried to level the wings, the left wing remained low. He applied full control stick and rudder in an attempt to level the wings, but the airplane continued a left slip toward the ground, where it landed hard and slid to a stop. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined based on the available information.
Factual narrative
On September 10, 2016, about 0900 mountain standard time, an experimental, amateur-built Challenger II airplane, N6162Y, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Bisbee, Arizona. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he conducted a few touch-and-go landings followed by two go-arounds. He then flew about 2 miles west of the airport to conduct stalls. On the way back to the airport, while climbing through about 800 feet above ground level, the engine suddenly "shut off" and the airplane’s nose abruptly pitched up. The pilot lowered the nose, established best glide speed, and attempted to restart the engine to no avail. He made a left turn toward a nearby road, but when he tried to level the wings, the left wing remained low. He applied full control stick and rudder in attempt to level the wings, but the airplane continued a left slip toward the ground, landed hard, and slid to a stop, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, left landing gear, and left wing. The reason for the loss of engine power was not determined based on available information.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6162Y
- Reported as
- Mccluskey Challenger II
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- CH2 1093 P1035
- Built
- 1996
- Airframe hours
- 328
- Engine
- Bombardier ROTAX (ALL), reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 6, 2016
- Departed
- Bisbee, AZ
- Destination
- Bisbee, AZ
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
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Unknown
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- DUG, 15 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 17, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 MB 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.