WPR24FA287

Shortly after refueling the airplane, the pilot departed the runway on a local flight. Multiple witnesses at the airport heard the airplane’s engine make popping sounds during the airplane’s initial climb before it turned onto the left crosswind leg of the traffic pattern. The airplane continued onto the left downwind leg at a lower-than-normal traffic pattern altitude, and the engine again made popping sounds before it became quiet like it lost total power. The airplane turned left toward the runway while another airplane was on final approach to the same runway, then it made a sharp right turn back toward the downwind before it descended behind trees. The pilot of the other airplane stated that he heard no radio communications from the accident pilot and that his passenger saw the accident airplane below their position before it impacted the ground in a storage facility and erupted into flames. Postaccident and follow-up examinations of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation; however, many components exhibited extensive thermal damage that limited the examinations. The main fuel tank was mostly consumed by postimpact fire and the fuel cap was not found during the onsite examination. It is likely that the fuel cap was also consumed by postimpact fire. Both propeller blades were bent slightly aft and showed no rotational signatures. Postaccident testing performed on a fuel sample from the airport fueling pump revealed no fuel anomaly. The accident pilot’s premature left turn toward the runway was likely an emergency maneuver to immediately return to the runway due to the total loss of engine power, and the subsequent right turn was likely to avoid the other airplane that was on final approach. It is unknown whether the accident pilot attempted to provide any radio communications about the emergency return to the runway. Such communications can enhance awareness for other pilots so that they can look for and yield to an aircraft in distress.

On August 25, 2024, about 1224 Pacific daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Pitts S-1 airplane, N42JF, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Santa Paula, California. The pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to multiple witnesses located at the Santa Paula Airport (SZP), Santa Paula, California, the pilot just refueled the airplane at the self-service fuel pumps before departing runway 22. During the airplane’s initial climb after departure, the engine made popping sounds, then the airplane turned onto the left crosswind leg of the traffic pattern. The airplane continued onto the left downwind leg at a lower-than-normal altitude, and the engine again made popping sounds before it became quiet like it lost total power. The airplane turned left toward runway 22 while another airplane was on final approach for runway 22. The accident airplane then made a sharp right turn back toward the downwind before it descended out of view behind trees. A pilot who was flying a Vans RV-12 airplane at SZP said that he saw the accident airplane depart from runway 22 while his airplane was on the left downwind leg for runway 22. He said he did not hear any radio calls from the accident flight on the airport common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF). The pilot of the RV-12 said he continued flying his airplane in the pattern for runway 22 while making all the appropriate radio calls. He stated that, while his airplane was on final approach about a 1/4 mile out from runway 22, his passenger noticed the accident airplane below their position and saw it impact the storage yard and erupt into flames. The accident site was located on an irrigation storage facility about 1/3 mile east of the approach end of runway 22. The debris path was about 120 ft long and oriented on a heading of about 030°. The airplane impacted several metal baskets and steel racks containing irrigation pipes before it came to rest alongside two metal waste containers, where a postimpact fire ensued. Examination of the wreckage revealed extensive thermal damage to the airplane. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the fuselage, empennage, and wing skins were consumed by fire, and only bent steel fuselage frame members remained. Both wing forward spars were mostly consumed by fire. The ferry fuel tank located on the upper forward wing spar remained attached, but was breached and had sustained thermal damage. The ferry fuel tank cap was locked and remained attached to the tank and was also thermally damaged. The main fuel tank was mostly consumed by post-impact fire. Small fragments of melted aluminum were found near the steel bracket assembly that holds the tank. The main tank fuel cap was not found during the onsite examination. The smoke oil tank, forward of the right rudder pedal area, was consumed by postimpact fire. The upper cowling remained partially attachedto the engine and sustained impact and thermal damage. The engine remained attached to the fuselage and sustained thermal damage. The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft flange, and both blades were bent slightly aft. No rotational signatures were noted on the blades. A follow-up examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. Fuel records from the self-serve fuel pump at SZP indicated that the accident airplane was fueled with 12.7 gallons of 100LL about 9 minutes before the accident. Specific-gravity fuel testing performed postaccident on a sample from the fuel pump revealed no anomaly. There were no pilot records provided indicating the pilot’s flight experience in the accident airplane make and model. According to the FAA, on February 8, 2024, the pilot reported a total of 2,300 hours of flight experience. A statement from the pilot was not provided during the investigation. The pilot had recently purchased the airplane and had flown it to SZP from Cleveland, Texas, 2 days before the accident. The mechanic who performed the prepurchase inspection and the last condition inspection said that he found nothing out of the ordinary with the airplane. Pre-accident photos of the airplane showed that a handheld radio was mounted on the right side of the cockpit with an antenna and power cable attached. The airplane’s maintenance records recorded that on November 11, 2019, the engine had about 695 hours of time in service and 299 hours since last overhaul. On September 6, 2022, inspection entry recorded an engine time of 325 hours since last overhaul and a total airframe time of 685 hours. The last airframe and engine inspections were performed July 15, 2023, and operational hours were not recorded in the logbook entries. The August 17, 2024, condition inspection logbook entry showed 718 hours of airframe and engine total time at the time of the inspection.