Pilot Debrief

BURKES BR-1 near Brigham City, UT — 2016-06-22

Final reportWPR16LA129
Sign in to save
Date
2016-06-22
Location
Brigham City, UT, USA
Aircraft
BURKES BR-1
Registration
N677DB
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

A loss of engine power as a result of a failure of the primary and backup ignition system.

NTSB narrative

The experimental amateur-built airplane was being flown to test airplane maneuvers. The pilot reported that about 20 minutes after takeoff, the engine lost complete power. An annunciation light indicated that the primary ignition system was not operating, so the pilot switched to the backup ignition system and then the backup battery, but the engine did not respond. The pilot executed a landing into a field. During landing the landing gear caught in the rough, soft ground, and the airplane cartwheeled. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed a short circuit in the primary ignition system, but the source of the short circuit could not be determined. Although the ignition system had both a backup power source and backup ignition coils, they shared a common power bus with the primary ignition system. A short circuit of this bus would have rendered both the primary and backup ignition sources inoperable.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked ignition system before flight to prevent power loss.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents3

Related mishaps