Las Vegas, NV, USA
N369XT
EXTRA FLUGZEUGPRODUKTIONS-UND EA 300
The commercial pilot reported that, while at 3,000 ft above ground level and on a long final to the runway, he advanced the propeller condition lever to full forward and that he then felt a loss of engine power. He checked that the mixture was full rich and that he had the center fuel tank selected. The propeller continued to windmill while he unsuccessfully attempted to restart the engine twice. He decided not to feather the propeller. The pilot realized that the airplane was not going to reach the runway and made a sudden left turn in an attempt to land on a road that paralleled the airport fence line. During the off-field landing, the right wing and landing gear sustained structural damage. Examination of the airplane revealed that fuel was present in the center and left wing fuel tanks but that the right wing fuel tank was empty. Examination of the propeller governor, engine, and airframe revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. A sound spectrum study of audio recorded by a GoPro camera onboard the airplane verified that, about 1 minute before the accident, the engine rpm began fluctuating and that it then steadily dropped off to about half the normal engine operating rpm by the time of impact.
On November 5, 2014, at 1145 Pacific standard time, an Extra Flugzeugproducktions-UND, EA-300/L, N369XT, experienced a loss of engine power while on final approach to runway 35L, Henderson Executive Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada, and collided with terrain short of the runway. The airplane's right wing was substantially damaged; the commercial pilot and single passenger were uninjured. The airplane was registered to Unmanned Systems, Inc., and operated by Sky Combat Ace as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight . Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which originated from Henderson Executive Airport at 1100. The pilot stated that while on long final to runway 35L, and was about 3,000 feet above ground level (agl) when he advanced the propeller condition lever to full forward. He then felt a loss of engine power. He checked that the mixture was full rich, and that he had the acro tank (center fuel tank) selected. The propeller continued to windmill while he attempted to restart the engine twice unsuccessfully. He did not feather the propeller. The pilot realized that he was not going to make the runway, and made a sudden left turn in an attempt to land on a road that parallels the airport fence line. The right wing and landing gear sustained structural damage during the off field landing. The pilot stated that the center fuel tank was 3/4 full (17 gal capacity), and the wing tanks were empty. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector examined the airplane at the scene of the accident and reported that the right wing fuel tank was empty, the left wing fuel tank had about 2 inches of fuel in it, the center acro tank had about 14 inches of fuel, and the fuel selector was in the OFF position. On November 7, 2014, a FAA inspector examined the engine and the attached propeller governor. The inspector found that the propeller control linkage was connected and functioned properly, positive rotation between the governor drive spline and the engine was verified, and positive oil flow was observed within the propeller governor oil ports. On November 6, 2015, an NTSB investigator examined the airplane and engine. No preaccident anomalies with the engine, engine controls, or fuel system were identified. The accident was captured on a GoPro camera that was mounted in the cockpit of the airplane and faced aft, viewing the occupants. The NTSB Vehicle Recorders Division performed a Sound Spectrum Study on the audio portion of the recording. The study stated that the strongest tone was steady while in cruise flight, which equates to engine speed of 2,360 rpm. About 1 minute before terrain impact the blade passage frequency oscillated over the next 12 seconds, and then the engine rpm steadily decreased to 1,205 at the time of terrain impact.
A partial loss of engine power during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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