Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s misjudgment of the airplane’s glidepath during the forced landing, which resulted in the airplane touching down short of the runway.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On August 18, 2018, about 1950 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Glasair SH, N38WS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Greenville, North Carolina. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot departed on the cross-country flight and while climbing the airplane through 3,000 ft mean sea level (msl), he noticed that the engine began to run rough; the fuel flow, which was normally “11 to 12, was around 8” gallons per hour. He continued to climb and as he approached 3,500 ft msl, the engine completely “quit.” The pilot spiraled the airplane down to a nearby airport; however, during the last turn to the runway, the airplane was too low. He subsequently landed in the grass short of the runway, where the airplane impacted a drainage ditch before coming to rest.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the main landing gear was collapsed, which damaged the underside of the fuselage and wings. Review of the airplane’s maintenance records revealed that an engine overhaul was completed about 716 flight hours before the accident flight and 90 hours since the last condition inspection. No additional examination of the engine was conducted.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA18LA224