Bradley RANS S-7 N91642

Summary

On 28 August 2001 at about 19:40 local time, a Bradley RANS S-7 registered N91642 was involved in an accident near Fruita, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 August 2001 at 19:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Fruita, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Private Airport (NONE)

Coordinates

39.2225, -108.7314

Aircraft

Bradley RANS S-7

Registration

N91642

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fruita → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN01LA153

1 person had minor injuries.

loss of engine power due to both piston rings failing, and the subsequent inadvertent stall/spin during the attempted forced landing. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff (approximately 30 feet above the ground), the aircraft began to lose power. The pilot said the aircraft lost the ability to climb at about 60 feet above ground level. Due to a barn in his flight path, he turned the airplane toward an alfalfa field to make an emergency landing. The engine continued to loose power and attempts to regain engine power failed. The airplane's speed began to decrease and approach a stall. The airplane contacted the ground with its right wing first, then rotated until its heading was 180 degrees from its flight path, subsequently coming to rest against a fence. Postaccident examination of the engine by the pilot revealed that both piston rings had failed. The owner reported that the engine had approximately 4 hours of flight operation time. .

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.