Summary
On April 05, 2014, a Terry F King ZENITH 701 (N410KT) was involved in an accident near La Belle, FL. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed after a total loss of engine power at takeoff, which resulted in a hard landing. Also causal was the pilot/owner/builder's improper installation of the magnetos which resulted in the engine power loss.
The pilot/owner/builder reported that at 30 to 50 feet above the runway in a steep climb after takeoff, the engine stopped producing power. The airplane "nosed over quickly" and landed hard on the nose wheel, bounced, and landed hard on the nose wheel again, collapsing it, and causing substantial damage to the firewall and airframe. Examination of the airplane's engine by an FAA airworthiness inspector revealed that both magnetos were improperly grounded at installation. The installation as found resulted in a degraded performance, and over time, resulted in a complete ignition failure and total loss of engine power.
This accident is documented in NTSB report ERA14CA191. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N410KT.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed after a total loss of engine power at takeoff, which resulted in a hard landing. Also causal was the pilot/owner/builder's improper installation of the magnetos which resulted in the engine power loss.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The pilot/owner/builder reported that at 30 to 50 feet above the runway in a steep climb after takeoff, the engine stopped producing power. The airplane "nosed over quickly" and landed hard on the nose wheel, bounced, and landed hard on the nose wheel again, collapsing it, and causing substantial damage to the firewall and airframe. Examination of the airplane's engine by an FAA airworthiness inspector revealed that both magnetos were improperly grounded at installation. The installation as found resulted in a degraded performance, and over time, resulted in a complete ignition failure and total loss of engine power.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA14CA191