14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, March 12, 2016 in Neshkoro, WI
Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/06/2016
Aircraft: BROCKMAN WILLIAM A CHALLENGER II, registration: N710WB
Injuries: 1 Serious.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The non-certificated pilot reported that he conducted a low approach over the turf runway at 50 ft above ground level with the engine power at idle. About halfway down the runway, he applied full power, but the engine did not respond. He entered a shallow left turn and slowed the airplane to stall speed before impacting trees. While the condition of the propeller was consistent with the engine having no power at the time of impact, postaccident examination of the airframe and a test run of the engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, and a reason for the loss of power could not be determined.
The pilot was not certificated, and he did not hold a medical certificate. The pilot’s flight time was unknown. The pilot's decision to maneuver the airplane at a low altitude and low airspeed precluded him from selecting a suitable forced landing site following the loss of engine power.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined, as postaccident examination revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Contributing to the accident was the non-certificated pilot's decision to maneuver at low altitude.
On March 12, 2016, about 1330 central standard time, an experimental amateur-built Brockman Challenger II, sustained substantial damage when it impacted trees and landed in a marsh after a reported loss of engine power near Neshkoro, Wisconsin. The non-certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was seriously injured. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by the pilot under the provisions of the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The airplane departed about 1315 from a private grass airstrip located about 3.5 miles north of Neshkoro, Wisconsin.
The pilot reported that he was flying for about 15 – 20 minutes and then returned to the grass airstrip. He did a low pass over the runway at 50 ft above ground level (agl) with the power at idle. About 1/2 way down the runway, he applied full throttle but the engine did not respond. He entered a shallow left turn and slowed the airplane to stall speed before hitting 2 trees about 8 ft off the ground. The airplane hit the ground and spun around 180 degrees.
The owner of the grass airstrip reported that he was flying his airplane and that he was about 1/4 mile behind the accident airplane approaching the airstrip from the north. He reported that he saw the accident airplane at 150 – 200 ft agl when it turned a left crosswind and then a left downwind. He saw the accident airplane stall into the trees. He stated that the airplane impacted the trees about 15 – 20 degrees nose down with the wings level.
The postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the wreckage was located in a wooded marsh about 470 ft east of the airstrip's midfield point. (There were open fields to the south and west of the airstrip) The left wing was separated from the fuselage and fragmented. The composite left fuel tank separated from the wing but it was intact and fuel was present in the tank. The right wing remained attached to the fuselage but exhibited aft crushing. The fuel tank was intact and contained fuel. The cockpit exhibited extensive crushing and fragmentation. The empennage remained intact. The flight controls exhibited continuity from the flight controls to the control surfaces. The throttle was checked and it operated. The composite 3-bladed propeller remained attached to the reduction pulley and all 3 blades exhibited minimal damage. The leading edge of one blade was partially de-bonded, but there were no leading edge gouges or nicks. The engine was removed from the airframe and shipped to a facility for an engine examination.
The examination of the engine was conducted with National Transportation Safety Board oversight. The examination revealed that the spark plugs appeared to be new with the proper gap set. The engine was rotated and compression was good on both cylinders, and drive train continuity was confirmed. The exhaust system was removed and it was in good condition. The pistons were normal in appearance with no sign of scoring or heat distress. Fuel was found in both carburetor bowls. The fuel jets were the correct size and the carburetors were set correctly. The engine was placed on an engine stand and the engine started. It operated smoothly at idle and at full power.
The accident pilot was not certificated. He did not hold a current student pilot certificate and he did not qualify as a sport pilot because he had been denied a medical certificate. He had not taken the practical test for either a sport pilot's or private pilot's certificate.
http://registry.faa.gov/N710WB
NTSB Identification: CEN16LA123
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, March 12, 2016 in Wautoma, WI
Aircraft: BROCKMAN WILLIAM A CHALLENGER II, registration: N710WB
Injuries: 1 Serious.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On March 12, 2016, about 1330 central standard time, an experimental amateur-built Brockman Challenger II, sustained substantial damage when it impacted a swamp after a reported loss of engine power near Wautoma, Wisconsin. The pilot, the sole occupant, was seriously injured. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by the pilot under the provisions of the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane departed from a private grass airstrip located about 6.5 miles southeast of Wautoma, Wisconsin, at an unknown time.
At 1256, the surface weather observation at the Wautoma Municipal Airport (Y50), located about 6 miles to the northwest of the accident site, was: wind calm; 10 miles visibility; sky clear; temperature 19 degrees C; dew point 3 degrees C; altimeter 30.05 inches of mercury.
On Saturday, March 12, at about 1:37 p.m. the Waushara County Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatch Center received a call of an airplane crash. The location was described as a marsh area by N1036 21st Court in the town of Marion.
First responders had a hard time getting to the location as it was about 350- 400 yards deep in swampy area. The first responders located the crash site and found the pilot was injured. He suffered non-life threating injuries. He was removed from the site and flown by Thedstar to Theda Clark hospital.
The FAA has been notified and they will continue the investigation. The Waushara County Sheriff’s Office responded along with the Neshkoro Fire Department and the Waushara County Emergency Medical Services. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources also responded with heavy equipment used for fighting natural wildland fires in the marsh areas. This heavy equipment helped get first responders to the scene.
Story and video: http://www.nbc26.com
WAUSHARA COUNTY, Wis. --- A pilot is expected to recover after his plane crashed near Waushara County.
The plane crashed just before 2 p.m. Saturday in a marsh near the town of Marion.
The Waushara County Sheriff's Office said it happened 400 yards deep into a swampy area and was difficult to access.
First responders had to use heavy equipment used for fighting natural wildfires from the Department of Natural Resources to get to the crash site.
The pilot had minor injuries and was flown to a nearby hospital.
Sheriff Jeffery Nett said the plane lost power before crashing.
The FAA is investigating the crash.
Original article can be found here: http://www.nbc15.com
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