Pilot Debrief

QUICKSILVER Sprint II near Lebanon, IL — 2012-05-19

Final reportCEN12LA309
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Date
2012-05-19
Location
Lebanon, IL, USA
Airport
PVT
Aircraft
QUICKSILVER Sprint II
Registration
N3521A
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The total loss of engine power due to a fatigue failure of the crankshaft, attributed to the relative movement between the crankshaft and flywheel assembly.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that there were no anomalies during the before-takeoff engine run-up or when he applied power for takeoff. He stated that during the initial climb, about 35 feet above the ground, the engine suddenly lost power. The pilot reported that he reduced pitch in order to maintain airspeed but that the airplane impacted the ground in a nose-low attitude. The airplane immediately nosed over at impact, coming to rest inverted. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft had fractured at the flywheel/crankshaft interface as a result of fatigue. The fracture originated from a single initiation point on the outer crankshaft surface that coincided with circumferential wear marks indicative of fretting. The observed wear marks matched those found on the flywheel and were likely the result of relative movement between the crankshaft and flywheel. The engine had accumulated 152.9 hours since new.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted takeoff after engine check if anomalies were detected.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents8

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