Pilot Debrief

BULFER JAMES G GENESIS near Fairmont, MN — 2021-09-06

Final reportCEN21LA401
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Date
2021-09-06
Location
Fairmont, MN, USA
Airport
FRM
Aircraft
BULFER JAMES G GENESIS
Registration
N105BJ
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during a forced landing, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the loss of power due to the failure of the engine’s drive belt.

NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger were conducting a local personal flight in the experimental amateur-built airplane. While on the base leg of the traffic pattern, the engine’s drive belt failed and was ejected from the airplane. During the ensuing forced landing, the pilot allowed the airspeed to decay, and the airplane experienced an aerodynamic stall and descended into trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The airplane’s maintenance records revealed that the drive belt was last replaced about 20 years ago. The pilot had completed a maintenance inspection about 2 months before the accident and a preflight inspection before the flight; he did not notice anything wrong with the drive belt during the inspections. There were no other mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have inspected the drive belt more thoroughly before the flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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