Smith STEWART S51D N51VS

Summary

On 9 August 2008 at about 22:14 local time, a Smith STEWART S51D registered N51VS was involved in an accident near Oxnard, California, 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

9 August 2008 at 22:14

Classification

Accident

Location

Oxnard, California, United States

Nearest airport

Oxnard (OXR)

Coordinates

34.2008, -119.2072

Aircraft

Smith STEWART S51D

Registration

N51VS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tehachapi → Oxnard

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX08LA263

1 person was seriously injured.

The loss of engine power for an undetermined reason.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the flight was made at a cruise altitude of 9,500 feet mean sea level (msl). As he neared his destination, he descended to 2,500 feet msl at low power with the mixture enrichened progressively. He entered the traffic pattern for runway 25 on the right base leg as instructed by the tower local controller. After turning final, the pilot increased power and the engine began to run rough. According to the pilot, "the engine was producing little or no power and descent rate was in excess of 2,500 feet per minute." He switched from the right to the left ignition module, which resulted in a momentary increase in power. After a few seconds, the engine again stopped producing power, and he executed an approach to a baseball field. The airplane impacted the chain link fence backstop of the baseball field and then struck a school bus barn. The wing separated from the fuselage. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the wreckage of the airplane and reported that the airplane was powered by a Chevrolet V-8 engine. The reason for the loss of engine power was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.