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August 31, 2008 · Wasson Loehle Loehle P-40 · N510JW

Oregon City, OR

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
August 31, 2008
Injury Outcomes
1 injury (1 serious injury)
Location
Oregon City, OR
Aircraft
Wasson Loehle Loehle P-40
Tail Number
N510JW
Operator
John Wasson
Injuries
Serious
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
SEA08LA193

About 30 minutes into the local flight while returning to the departure airport, the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot subsequently made a successful landing in a flat farm field. The pilot said that after adding about 2-1/2 gallons of fuel and "running it at various speeds and checking my gages," he departed for the 5 minute flight back to his original departure airport. The pilot reported that on about a 1-mile final to the runway, the engine lost power again, which required him to make a second forced landing. The airplane came to rest upright in a pond with its left wing separated. A post-accident examination revealed scuffing signature marks on the piston walls, which were consistent with a cold seizure condition. The engine manufacturer's Installation Manual specifies in its Safety Information section, in part, "This engine, by its design, is subject to sudden stoppage...Never fly the aircraft equipped with this engine at locations, airspeeds, altitude, or other circumstances from which a successful no-power landing cannot be made, after sudden engine stoppage...This is not a certificated aircraft engine."

NTSB Probable Cause

Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine (reciprocating)-Recip eng cyl section-Malfunction - C

Full Narrative

On August 31, 2008, about 1215 Pacific daylight time, a Wasson Loehle P-40 experimental amateur built airplane, N510JW, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Oregon City, Oregon. The certificated private pilot, the airplane's sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, which was conducted in accordance with 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight departed a private airstrip about 3 minutes prior to the accident, with its destination being the Aero Acres Airport (OG30), Oregon City, Oregon. In a statement submitted to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC), the pilot reported that prior to departing OG30 earlier in the morning, he filled the airplane's gas tank with 2 1/2 gallons of aviation fuel; the tank held a little more than 5 gallons. The pilot further reported that after flying for about 30 to 40 minutes and while returning to OG30 at an altitude of about 1,200 to 1,300 feet, "..[the] engine made a 'surge' sound and quit. I could see gas in the tank, tried to restart [the engine], [but with] no luck." The pilot stated that he made a dead stick landing in a flat farm field about 2 miles from OG30. The pilot revealed that he subsequently put 2 1/2 gallons of aviation fuel in the airplane's fuel tank, started the engine, ran it at various speeds and departed the field for the 5 minute flight to OG30. The pilot reported that when he was about 700 feet [above ground level] on about a one mile final to the runway, "...the engine quit without warning. [I] maneuvered as best I could to avoid trees. Saw a beaver pond, [the] only clearing. [I] steered for it and awoke in [the] pond still strapped in my seat." The pilot reported that the left wing had separated from the fuselage during the forced landing. In a subsequent telephone conversation with the IIC, the pilot reported that he had purchased the ROTAX 582 engine as new, and that at the time of the accident it had accumulated a total of 38 hours. A postaccident examination of the airplane's engine by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector revealed "scuffing" signatures on the piston walls. After reviewing pictures provided by the FAA of the "scuffing" signatures, a representative from ROTAX Aircraft Engines stated, "Yes, that looks like classic 'cold seizure,' otherwise known as '4 corner seizure.'" The ROTAX Aircraft Engines representative supplied the IIC with excerpts from the engine's INSTALLATION MANUAL, dated May 1, 1999, which states in part: WARNING: "This engine, by its design, is subject to sudden stoppage. Engine stoppage can result in forced landings, no power landings or crash landings. Such crash landings can lead to serious bodily injury or death." WARNING: "Never fly the aircraft equipped with this engine at locations, airspeeds, altitude, of other circumstances from which a successful no-power landing cannot be made, after sudden engine stoppage." WARNINIG: "This is not a certificated aircraft engine. It has not received any safety or durability testing, and conforms to no aircraft standards. It is for use in experimental, uncertificated aircraft and vehicles only in which an engine failure will not compromise safety."

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time12:15 PDT
Nearest Airport0nm
Flight Plan FiledNone
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftWasson Loehle Loehle P-40
Tail NumberN510JW
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
OperatorJohn Wasson
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsRotax · 582 · Reciprocating · 65
Seats1

People & Injuries

Injury Summary1 injury (1 serious injury)
Fatal0
Serious1
Minor0
Uninjured0
Total1
Crew 1Age 67 · Third Class · Serious

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind330° @ 6 kt
Visibility8 sm
CeilingBroken clouds 3700 ft
Temperature / Dew Point57 / 48
Altimeter30.04 inHg
Observation Time18:53
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data