N8190J

On June 14, 1999, about 1330 eastern daylight time, a Seawind homebuilt airplane, N8190J, was substantially damage after experiencing a loss of power during climbout from Eastern West Virginia Regional Shepherd Airport, Martinsburg, West Virginia. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

The pilot stated that he arrived at the airport about 1100. He then reinstalled the airplane's engine cowling, and propeller before conducting a preflight. After boarding and completing the pre-start checks, the pilot started the airplane's engine on the first attempt. It ran "smoothly", and he noticed no anomalies. He then taxied the airplane short of runway 26, and completed the run-up checks. During the run-up checks, he stabilized the engine rpm at 4,500, and scanned the instrument panel for deficiency, but found none.

While holding short of runway 26, the pilot visually checked for traffic, announced his intentions on UNICOM, taxied on to the runway, and advanced the throttle. The pilot scanned both the flight instruments and engine instrument during the ground roll, and noticed no discrepancies. He estimated that the airplane became airborne approximately 2,000 feet down the runway. Once airborne, he retracted the flaps, and raised the landing gear. About 500 feet agl, the pilot executed a left turn to stay within glided distance of the airport. Approximately 30 degrees through the turn, the airplane experienced a loss in power. The propeller continued to windmill, but the engine did not responded to throttle movements.

The pilot realized he was not going to make the runway, so he positioned the airplane to land in a grassy field. He felt the airplane would slide better with the landing gear retracted, so he left it up. The pilot reported that the airplane touched down smoothly. Then, the left wing made contact with rising terrain. The airplane rolled right, and the right wing separated on ground contact. The airplane continued to slide on its right side until coming to a stop. The pilot estimated the ground slide was approximately 500 feet. After coming to a stop, the pilot secured the ignition and shut off the electrical master before exiting. He estimated that the airplane had approximately 20 gallons of fuel onboard when the engine lost power.

The pilot added that he had acquired the electronic ignition equipped engine from a "junk yard." Adding, that this was the airplane's third flight since completion. During the previous two flights, the airplane had accumulated about 1 hour of flight time. In addition, on the previous flight, the engine overheated, and lost all of its coolant. Because of the overheating problem, the pilot checked the engine baffling, and cooling system. He also enlarged an opening in the engine cowling to increase airflow.

According to the pilot, he had logged approximately 2,100 hours of total flight experience. About 1,050 hours in single engine land, and about 1,050 hours in multi engine land.

The pilot stated that he examined the airplane's engine after the accident and found the inner liner of the air-intake had separated from the outer liner, blocking airflow to the fuel servo.