Primary finding
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The unregistered experimental, single-seat, amateur-built airplane crashed into an open field and came to rest inverted. The wood/fabric airplane had received extensive damage during the impact; it appeared that the airplane collided with terrain at a low speed and a high angle, and fuel was present on site. The private pilot received serious injuries during the crash. The pilot/owner had reportedly purchased the partly completed airplane approximately two years prior to the accident. The accident flight was the airplane's first flight. The pilot pre-flighted the airplane and then taxied up and down a private airstrip located near his residence. The pilot reported to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that shortly after takeoff the airplane's engine began to "sputter." The pilot then attempted a forced landing to a nearby airstrip; however, the airplane stalled and impacted a field just short of the airstrip.
Source record
Factual narrative
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector, who responded to an aircraft accident, reported that he found an unregistered, experimental, single-seat, amateur-built airplane lying inverted in an open field. The wood/fabric airplane had received extensive damage during the impact, and the inspector reported that it appeared that the airplane collided with terrain at a low-speed, high-angle. He added that fuel was present on-site. The private pilot received serious injuries during the crash. The pilot had reportedly purchased the partly completed airplane approximately two years prior to the accident. The airplane had not flown before; when the private pilot decided to test fly the airplane. The pilot pre-flighted the airplane and then taxied the airplane up and down a private airstrip, located near the pilot's residence. The pilot reported to the FAA Inspector, that shortly after take-off, the airplane's engine began to "sputter". The pilot attempted a forced landing to a nearby airstrip; however, the airplane stalled and impacted a field just short of the airstrip.