GentsBack on April 13th I had some unanticipated excitement.
In the spirit of sharing experiences so others may benefit, here is the
narrative description of this event which I=99ve provided to the
NTSB:
This Experimental, Amateur-built Aircraft was being flown within the
Phase 1 Limitations listed under its Special Airworthiness Certificate
dated September 10, 2019. !
After take off with full fuel at approximently 10:30 am with the
intention of remaining in the pattern and flight testing some
modifications to the engine cooling system, I=99d been doing
circuits around KORS at 2500 ft...all was well, engine humming along,
temps were nominal... cruising along at 130-140 kts...decided to
land...descended to pattern altitude...entered downwind at 85-90 kts
stabilized at 1000 ft...80 kts abeam the numbers...lowered flaps &
LG...(LG & flaps are interconnected w/ single flap setting of 20
deg.)...engine stopped...slowed to 75 kts, switched fuel pumps,
attempted restart, engine cranked fine but did not fire up...turned
base, attempted restart again, engine cranks fine but no start...at that
point I was in a state of disbelief that my engine would not restart,
although I realized that I may not reach the runway... turned 45 deg
towards runway threshold...terrain is flat with a wooded strip
approximately 100 feet wide separating rows of one and two story
residential structures...another restart attempt, nada...way below the
proper glide path and I became quite aware that I was heading for some
trees...was feeling surreal, calm...no images of my life passing thru my
brain...definitely flew the plane, stall warner did not go off...the
engine was not windmilling prior to impact, and upon impact my shoulder
strap risers performed well...no injuries...no smell of fuel...First
thing I did was turn off Master Switch, and out of habit, turn off all
other rocker switches; when doing so, I did not notice if any of the
rockers, normally =9Con=9D in flight or whenever the engine
is running, had been in the =9Coff=9D position...If I=99
d had any available bandwidth in my brain, I would have sat tight and
dialed 911 on my cell phone, but my instincts had me opening the door to
exit the aircraft had a sense of being within a bunch of tree
branches...I now think I was experiencing some tunnel vision...in any
case, I didn=99t realize I was up so high...I recall having no
trouble getting my butt up on the headrest and swinging my legs over the
gullwing door sill and onto the wing...then all of a sudden I was on my
back on the ground in considerable pain after having fallen 12 to 15
feet onto soft, soggy soil, flat terrain. The property owner witnessed
the low flying airplane and heard the impact into the trees; he called
911 at 11:36 am. Aircraft remained intact, stuck and supported between
trees in a nose-high attitude. Estimated airspeed at impact between 50
and 60 kts. Post-crash, falling to the ground resulted in compression
fracture of lower spine; no complications; need to take it easy, need
for patience to let body heal
Probable cause of engine stoppage: The engine stoppage occurred as I was
lowering the Landing Gear and Flaps. In the process of lowering the LG,
I experienced some difficulty getting the lever control into the down
and locked position. Normally lowering the gear is done with the right
hand. I used my left hand to assist getting the lever in the locked
position...One possibility is my left hand may have brushed one, two, or
three of the rocker switches which control the ignition coils, fuel
injectors, and ECU of the MPEFIed, 140 hp engine derived from a Subaru
EA81. A second possibility is that when I returned my left hand to the
control stick,, I abruptly shoved the stick forward to correct for the
nose-high attitude caused by the deployment of full flaps and my left
hand brushed up against them. If either of these events occurred, I was
completely unaware. This is speculation on my part and may be confirmed
(or not) once the aircraft has a new propeller installed and the engine
is run up. My hunch is it will fire right up, smoothe as silk, and stop
when the rocker switch energizing the ignition coils or fuel injectors
is turned off.
We=99ll see.
Description of Damage to Aircraft and Other Property
Airframe is of premolded fiberglass / composite construction; control
surfaces are fiberglass over foam cores.
Forward portion of starboard wing tip and nav/strobe/landing light
broken, 2=9D dia. puncture starboard wing leading edge, 12=9D
long crease in port wing leading edge, port wing AOA pin dislodged,
propeller blades broken (engine not running on impact), spinner dented,
lower cowling ruptured, main LG fairing ruptured, 2=9D puncture in
rudder, 20=9D gash in underside of fuselage, tail wheel
swivel-stop bent, 2 fuselage punctures, appproximately 4=9D x 4
=9D forward of port wing root; aircraft came to rest within trees about
10 feet above the ground, in the process of lowering the aircraft to the
ground the starboard gull-wing door/window was broken; no indication of
major structural damage but unable to confirm until aircraft is back in
the hangar and thoroughly inspected.
At present, N195XS rests in her trailer in my yard while I rest on my
back.
Fred
A-194
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