June 7, 2018
Shortly after takeoff on an extended crosswind leg about 800 feet MSL, the engine lost total power. The private pilot continued ahead and landed the airplane in a field. During the landing, the airplane impacted a wire fence and brush, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings.
The pilot reported that this was the first flight after he had made maintenance repairs to the GM Ecotec L61 engine due to an engine failure one month before the accident. He stated that he installed an aftermarket engine control unit and modified the fuel delivery software, which resulted in the engine running too lean for flight and likely caused detonation and piston damage. During the run-up before the accident flight, the pilot was aware that the engine was not producing power as it should. However, he decided to depart with a known engine problem, and his decision to do so led to the accident.
Experimental pilot in his experimental plane.
My feeling is that such behavior warrants permanent revocation of his pilot license.
I AGREE a Suspension is in order of some duration for his deliberate recklessness. LANDING STRAIGHT AHEAD IS NOT A GET OUT OF JAIL CARD SUC AS DAN MAROTTA SUGGESTS BELOW. What if your house with kids and a yard where they played was straight ahead?
I AGREE a Suspension is in order of some duration for his deliberate recklessness. LANDING STRAIGHT AHEAD IS NOT A GET OUT OF JAIL CARD SUCH AS DAN MAROTTA SUGGESTS BELOW. What if your house with kids and a yard where they played was straight ahead?
C’mon, guys. I agree his belief that his engine problems would magically disappear once the airplane had air under the wheels was a bit much (and I’ve seen several similar cases).
But once the engine quit on takeoff, he had bare seconds to figure out what to do with it. He selected an uninhabited area and no one on the ground was touched.
It’s easy enough to Keyboard Quarterback an accident, but in most cases, the pilots have had to make a serious decision in a short time. My personal desires in such cases, in order, are 1) No injuries to anyone on the ground, 2) Minimal injury to myself, 3) Minimal damage to anything on the ground, and 4) Minimal damage to the aircraft. The owner of this RV-4 managed the first three, and can deal with #4 with his insurance company.
I’ll note I don’t carry hull insurance on my airplane, but for me, #4 is still in last place. Let me not hurt anything anyone or anything on the ground, let me walk away, and the airplane can go spiral-inclined-plane itself.
It appears that he landed straight ahead and walked away. That pays for a lot of mistakes.
“During the run-up before the accident flight, the pilot was aware that the engine was not producing power as it should. However, he decided to depart with a known engine problem, and his decision to do so led to the accident.” !?!?!? Engine NOT producing power as it should, BUT let’s GO anyway!