Primary finding
Probable cause
A loss of power due to a partially blocked induction air filter. Factors include no suitable terrain on which to execute a forced landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
Just after takeoff, the aircraft experienced a partial loss of power, and the pilot elected to attempt a forced landing on the nearby unsuitable terrain. Inspection of the aircraft revealed that the induction air filter was partially blocked by fragments of an insulating material that the builder had wrapped around the exhaust system.
Source record
Factual narrative
On April 15, 1994, approximately 1350 Pacific daylight time (PDT), the pilot of an Asher RV-6 experimental aircraft, N7057G, impacted the terrain during an attempted forced landing. The forced landing was initiated by the pilot after he experienced a loss of engine power during the initial takeoff climb from Enterprise Municipal Airport, Enterprise, Oregon. The certified flight instructor was not injured, his passenger received minor injuries, and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The personal pleasure flight, which was departing for Afton, Wyoming, was operating in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the accident. The pilot had filed a VFR flight plan, and there was no report of an ELT activation. According to the pilot, the engine experienced a rapid power loss just after takeoff, and he elected to attempt a forced landing on the unsuitable terrain off the end of the runway. Inspection of the aircraft by an NTSB investigator and an FAA inspector revealed that the induction air filter had been partially blocked by fragments of an insulating material that the builder had wrapped around portions of the exhaust system. -