Walker LANCAIR IV N7441W

Summary

On 1 August 2007 at about 21:15 local time, a Walker LANCAIR IV registered N7441W was involved in an accident near Sylvan Grove, Kansas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 August 2007 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Sylvan Grove, Kansas, United States

Coordinates

38.9939, -99.5953

Aircraft

Walker LANCAIR IV

Registration

N7441W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Junction City → Farmington

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN07LA133

1 person was seriously injured.

A catastrophic engine failure due to oil starvation when an oil line to the turbocharger wastegate actuator came loose. Contributing factors in this accident were the unsuitable terrain on which to make a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had been fully serviced with fuel and oil prior to takeoff. During the initial climb to 10,500 feet, the electronic manifold pressure gauge malfunctioned so the pilot managed power "by throttle position." He reduced power when the number 2 cylinder head temperature increased more than the other cylinder head temperatures. Almost immediately upon leveling off, the engine lost power. When the fuel boost pump was switched to HIGH, the engine "fired and achieved lower power for 30 seconds." Mixture control manipulation restarted the engine, but after a few seconds there was "an explosion and a lot of smoke." The engine stopped but [the propeller] "appeared to be turning freely" all the way down. The pilot made a rapid descent and landed in an open field. The airplane rolled about 400 feet, crested a small rise, then struck a ground depression that collapsed the landing gear. The airplane then slid sideways for another 300 feet. The pilot used his cellular telephone to alert authorities of the accident. FAA inspectors examined the engine, a Continental TSIO-550-B-1-B (s.n. 802008), and found evidence of catastrophic engine failure. An oil line to the turbocharger wastegate actuator had come loose, causing oil starvation and high heat distress. A hole in the engine case exposed the number 5 journal and imprints from rod bolt strikes. The airplane was built in 1992. The engine had a total time of 88 hours.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.