Pilot Debrief

HOLMES GARY DON RUTAN LONG-EZ near Yellow Springs, OH — 2010-09-25

Final reportCEN10LA566
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Date
2010-09-25
Location
Yellow Springs, OH, USA
Aircraft
HOLMES GARY DON RUTAN LONG-EZ
Registration
N22GZ
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing basic flight maneuvers and experienced a total loss of engine power. The airplane began to descend and the pilot attempted to restart the engine; however, his attempts were unsuccessful. The pilot performed a forced landing in a field. During the landing, the airplane impacted rough terrain, flipped over and came to rest inverted. A postaccident examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed no evidence of preexisting mechanical anomalies. The engine ran satisfactorily after the accident. While the FAA's Carburetor Icing Chart revealed “Serious icing (glide power)” for the reported temperature and dew point conditions, the investigation could not conclusively determine that carburetor ice caused the loss of engine power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have avoided power on accelerated stall maneuver.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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