Columbia XJ-7 N48RW

Summary

On 13 March 1997 at about 00:25 local time, a Columbia XJ-7 registered N48RW was involved in an accident near Camp Pendelton, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 March 1997 at 00:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Camp Pendelton, California, United States

Coordinates

33.3904, -117.4395

Aircraft

Columbia XJ-7

Registration

N48RW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Carlsbad → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX97LA122

Nobody was injured.

loss of engine power due to an undetermined cause or causes.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot experienced a partial engine failure about 20 minutes after takeoff and made an off airport emergency landing. After touchdown, the aircraft encountered a ditch and nosed over onto its back. An inspection of the aircraft revealed throttle movement in the cockpit did not produce corresponding movement of the butterfly valve in the carburetor throat. The carburetor is designed, however, to automatically go to 80 percent power in the event of a mechanical throttle linkage separation. This was the first flight after an annual safety condition inspection. A review of the aircraft logbooks did not reveal any discrepancies. A final attempt by the operator to diagnose the cause of the engine failure was unsuccessful.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.