Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Bradley, Connecticut
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
http://registry.faa.gov/N210SQ
Location: Guilford, CT
Accident Number: ERA17LA276
Date & Time: 08/14/2017, 1620 EDT
Registration: N210SQ
Aircraft: BRADLEY RODERICK W MURPHY RENEGADE
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of engine power (total)
Injuries: 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On August 14, 2017, about 1620 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Murphey Renegade, N210SQ, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Guilford, Connecticut. The airline transport pilot received minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN), New Haven, Connecticut, about 1550.
According to the pilot, the accident flight was the first flight after the carburetors were inspected, repaired, and reinstalled on the engine. During the preflight inspection, he checked for water in the fuel, which was automotive fuel with 5% ethanol, and noted none. Review of air traffic control communication transcripts revealed that about 30 minutes after departing HVN the pilot declared an emergency to the HVN tower controller and stated that his engine had lost power. He advised the tower controller that he was about 10 miles east of the airport and was going to perform a forced landing to the local fairgrounds. While on approach, the airplane struck powerlines and came to rest in a field.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the accident site, the forward section of the fuselage was substantially damaged. The propeller was not damaged and there was fuel present in the fuel tanks.
An examination of the engine revealed that crankshaft continuity was confirmed by rotating the propeller by hand, and thumb compression was established on all cylinders. The spark plugs and ignition system were examined, and no anomalies were noted. The fuel pump was examined, and no anomalies were noted. The carburetors were partially disassembled, the diaphragms were intact, the main jet and idle jets were not blocked, and no corrosion was noted on those parts. The left idle mixture screw had a small amount of corrosion, otherwise, there were no other anomalies with the carburetors.
According to the pilot, he had the carburetors inspected and repaired twice as a result of a "rough running engine." Once in February 2017 and then again in July 2017. Both times, the pilot reinstalled the carburetors and noted that the engine ran "normal." The pilot stated that there was evidence of water contamination both times, and once, one of the fuel jets in the carburetors was a blue/green color "because of corrosion."
According to the maintenance work orders, a maintenance shop performed the manufacturer's 200-hour carburetor service requirement and the 5-year rubber replacement requirements in February 2017. Then, in July 2017, maintenance personnel indicated that the carburetor was inspected and "found idle circuit was corroded. Cleaned, performed ground run-up – tested good."
In a letter to the maintenance facility that performed the carburetor maintenance, the pilot noted on-going issues with the engine. The following is what he stated in his letter sent in July 2017:
318 hours – rough running [engine] replaced idle jets
331 hours – new spark plugs
340 hours – engine would not start, replaced both ignition modules
342 hours – rough running [engine], cleaned idle jets
373 hours – loss of power after takeoff, sent carb[ureters] to maintenance shop for rebuild
395 hours – rough running [engine], bought new idle jets
395 hours – weighed floats, replaced spark plugs, check main pistons for free movement, checked air cleaners.
"Rough running continues, spark plugs badly sooted."
According to the pilot, on the day of the accident the airplane had accumulated 410 hours of total time.
According to Rotax Service Instruction "Selection of Suitable Operating Fluids for Rotax Engine 912 and 914 series," automotive fuel with up to 10% of ethanol was permitted to be used for operation.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Airline Transport
Age: 78, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Rear
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 4-point
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Sport Pilot Without Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam:
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 10/10/2016
Flight Time: 25095 hours (Total, all aircraft), 562 hours (Total, this make and model), 9000 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 22 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 5 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 0.5 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: BRADLEY RODERICK W
Registration: N210SQ
Model/Series: MURPHY RENEGADE NO SERIES
Aircraft Category:Airplane
Year of Manufacture:
Amateur Built: Yes
Airworthiness Certificate: Experimental
Serial Number: REN 575
Landing Gear Type: Tailwheel
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 04/25/2017, Condition
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 1050 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 7 Hours
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 562 Hours at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: ROTAX
ELT: C91 installed, activated, did not aid in locating accident
Engine Model/Series: 912UL
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 100 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: HVN, 13 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 10 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1553 EDT
Direction from Accident Site: 264°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 1800 ft agl
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 2800 ft agl
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 5 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: /
Wind Direction: 170°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: /
Altimeter Setting: 29.91 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 23°C / 20°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: NEW HAVEN, CT (HVN)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: NEW HAVEN, CT (HVN)
Type of Clearance: Unknown
Departure Time: 1550 EDT
Type of Airspace:
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Minor
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Minor
Latitude, Longitude: 41.280833, -72.673333 (est)
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, August 15, 2017 in Guilford, CT
Aircraft: BRADLEY RODERICK W MURPHY RENEGADE, registration: N210SQ
Injuries: 1 Minor.
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 August 15, 2017, about 1620 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur built Bradley Murphey Renegade, N210SQ, was substantially damaged during a forced landing at the Guilford Fairgrounds, Guilford, Connecticut. The airline transport pilot received minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN), New Haven, Connecticut, about 1550.
According to preliminary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control information, the pilot reported that he was about 10 miles east of HVN when he - declared an emergency. He advised the tower controller that the engine lost power and that he was going to perform a forced landing to the local fairgrounds. While on approach, the airplane struck powerlines and came to rest in a field.
According to the FAA inspector who responded to the accident site, the forward section of the fuselage was substantially damaged. The propeller was not damaged and there was fuel present in the fuel tanks.
The airplane was retained for further examination.
GUILFORD, CT (WFSB) - A day after a crash landing at the Guilford fairgrounds, a plane is in pieces inside the pilot’s garage.
His wife is relieved her husband Roderick Bradley was able to walk away from the crash, now recovering at home with only a sprained neck.
“He fortunately had his hard helmet on. That saved him a lot I think because otherwise, he may have had a concussion I think,” said Pat Bradley.
Roderick Bradley, who was a commercial pilot for 30 years, took off from Tweed-New Haven Airport on Monday, before he had to make a hard landing around 4 p.m.
The Murphy Renegade plane is home-made and took him five years to build.
“He doesn’t know himself. Just the engine quit. It was flying fine from New Haven until he got to Guilford,” Pat Bradley said.
After making numerous phone calls and emails to officials from the Federal Aviation Administration, Eyewitness News obtained a report that shows the same aircraft had been cited as losing engine power in a previous incident, which appears could have also been the problem in the sky on Monday.
In 2004 that same plane ended up crashing into trees, according to an FAA document.
It states the plane’s engine lost power shortly after takeoff, but the cause of the power failure couldn’t be determined.
Bradley’s wife says the plane just passed a bi-annual review earlier this year.
“He can’t understand it because he’s very, very particular of checking before he goes flying he does all the checklist. He’s a lot more particular than a lot of people flying around,” she said.
Eyewitness News wanted to see a what a pre-flight check list looks like.
Joseph Boruch, who has been flying for 11 years, says every inch of the plane gets inspected by a pilot.
There are more than 30 things on this list, including checking the lights, engine and fuel tank.
“As a private pilot, you need to have a bi-annual flight review, and typically if you’re renting a plane you’re sharing a club of some type there’s even more stringent requirements,” Boruch said.
In 2017 alone, there have been four deadly plane crashes in Connecticut.
And just since last Friday, there have been three crashes with injuries.
However, Boruch says it won’t keep him from flying up in the sky.
“It’s all about lessons learned and continuous improvement. Something else to keep in mind as you move forward in your progression as a pilot in your learning,” he said.
The FAA will be heading over to take a closer look at the plane to determine what may have gone wrong in Monday’s crash.
A spokesperson says FAA investigators treat each crash as its own unique case.
Story and video ➤ http://www.wfsb.com
A plane made an emergency landing at the Guilford Fairgrounds on Monday afternoon.
The pilot built the plane, a Murphy Renegade experimental aircraft.
Police said no one was injured during the emergency landing around 4 p.m. at the fairgrounds on Lovers Lane in Guilford.
The plane left from Tweed-New Haven Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
"I just looked over and he hit the wires and then nose-dived," a witness, Karen Rosenthal, said.
Rosenthal said she rushed to the plane, avoiding the downed power lines. She reports the pilot got out himself and was walking around, a little sore and shaken.
After a hard landing, the pilot called his wife.
The pilot was identified as Roderick Bradley, of Guilford, his wife Pat told NBC Connecticut.
"I was coming back from the grocery store. He said he had a bit of a problem. He’s always very low-key," Pat Bradley said.
She said Bradley retired after a long career as a commercial pilot and built the aircraft himself.
"He’s going to fly (again). It’s his passion," Pat Bradley said about her husband.
On Monday night, Bradley returned to the fairgrounds and dismantled his plane with some help from others.
In 2004, Bradley's plane was involved in a crash in Stow, Massachusetts, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) website. Two people had no injuries in that crash.
The plane took down some power lines by the fairgrounds, according to Eversource. Crews responded to restore power to more than a dozen customers.
FAA said they will investigate.
Story and video ➤ http://www.nbcconnecticut.com
GUILFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Guilford police confirm to News 8 that a plane made an emergency landing at the Guilford fairgrounds Monday afternoon.
It is unclear what caused the pilot to make an emergency landing. Officers say that the plane was able to land safely at the Guilford fairgrounds, located on Lovers Lane, just after 4:30 p.m.
Only the pilot was on board. The pilot was not seriously injured in the landing, and no one on the ground was hurt, according to Guilford police.
A few homes in the area are without power as the plane snapped power lines as it was coming down. Power crews are on the scene working to restore service.
Neighbors tell News 8 that the pilot, who has not been identified, was a retired commercial pilot, and lives in the area.
Officials are conducting their investigation to determine what may have caused the pilot to have to make the emergency landing.
Story and video ➤ http://wtnh.com
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