ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 213477
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| Date: | Saturday 14 July 2018 |
| Time: | 10:00 LT |
| Type: |  Cassutt III-1 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N43SJ |
| MSN: | 1 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1973 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Rosamond, Kern County, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Rosamond, CA (L00) |
| Rosamond, CA (L00) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot was departing in his experimental, amateur-built airplane configured for aerial racing. He reported that when the airplane entered its initial climb and was about 50 ft above ground level, the engine performance reduced by about 300 rpm. The pilot attempted to continue the takeoff to complete a circuit in the airport traffic pattern. A witness saw the airplane turn left, and the nose immediately dropped and impacted the ground, followed by the right side of the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage and right wing. It is likely that, while the pilot was maneuvering at low altitude after the partial loss of engine power, he failed to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and a subsequent accelerated stall.
Postaccident examination of the engine and most of the accessories did not reveal any preimpact mechanical anomalies. However, a teardown of the carburetor showed multiple discrepancies, the most notable of which was a loose primary venturi. This condition is likely to have caused the partial loss of engine power during takeoff due to the delivery of inconsistent vacuum pressure and a disruption in fuel flow. An airworthiness directive (AD) issued 20 years before the accident required that the venturi be inspected at each annual, 100-hour, or conditional inspection. It is unknown if this AD was complied with, as the pilot/owner did not possess any records that showed the carburetor's maintenance history.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during a low-altitude maneuver after a partial loss of engine power, which resulted in exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a subsequent accelerated stall. Contributing to the accident was a loose primary venturi in the carburetor due to improper maintenance, which resulted in a disruption in fuel flow and the subsequent partial loss of engine power.
Sources:
NTSB WPR18LA196
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N43SJ
Accident investigation:
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|
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Jul-2018 15:59 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 19-Jul-2018 17:00 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Phase, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Jul-2022 05:42 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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