Pilot Debrief

CLARK RV-9A near Oregon City, OR — 2010-07-23

Final reportWPR10LA366
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Date
2010-07-23
Location
Oregon City, OR, USA
Aircraft
CLARK RV-9A
Registration
N70720
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

The pilot's decision to depart with known mechanical anomalies and the loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

NTSB narrative

The engine had recently been operating erratically and the day before the accident it lost power while the pilot was taxiing. Following numerous failed attempts to restart the engine, it eventually started and began to emit flames from the inlet port and a fire extinguisher was used to suppress the fire. The day of the accident, and after cleaning the residue left from the extinguishing agent, the pilot started the engine, performed a runup and then departed to fly the airplane back to his home airport. A short time after takeoff, the airplane was observed by witnesses to be maneuvering at a low altitude adjacent to a highway as if attempting to land on the road. The engine experienced a loss of engine power and the airplane collided with trees and powerlines during a forced landing; the airplane came to rest inverted and was partially consumed by a post crash fire. A postaccident inspection revealed that the extensive fire damage precluded testing the integrity of the fuel system. Numerous fittings and controls on the engine were loose or very low torque, most likely due to thermal damage from the post crash fire. The examination did not show any evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or abnormalities, although the damage was too extensive to definitively determine the reason for the loss of power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have canceled the flight after engine issues during the flight review.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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