Lorentzen LANCAIR LEGACY N368W

Summary

On 13 September 2014 at about 21:00 local time, a Lorentzen LANCAIR LEGACY registered N368W, operated by Wolstenholme Robert F, was involved in an accident near Reno, Nevada, United States. One person was 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 September 2014 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Reno, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Reno Stead (5SD)

Coordinates

39.6681, -119.8764

Aircraft

Lorentzen LANCAIR LEGACY

Registration

N368W

Category

Airplane

Year built

2012

Engines

1

Operator

Wolstenholme Robert F

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Air Race/Show

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Reno → Reno

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA394

Nobody was injured.

The shearing of mounting bolts that attached the right turbocharger to its mounting bracket during an air race, which resulted in hot exhaust gases leaking into the engine compartment and starting a fire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was participating in an air race when an in-flight fire in the engine compartment and a loss of engine power occurred. He was unable to discharge the fire extinguisher and declared an emergency. He flew off the racecourse and touched down the airplane in rough terrain short of a runway. Each side of the engine had exhaust pipes from each cylinder that connected to a manifold via a slip joint on each pipe. The manifold connected to a turbocharger at the rear end of the engine, and the turbocharger was mounted to the airframe. Postaccident examination revealed that the two bolts that attached the right turbocharger to its mounting bracket had sheared. The exhaust pipes had pulled down and away from the cylinders, likely due to the weight of the turbocharger and exhaust manifold, which created a gap at the slip joint for the No. 1 cylinder, which was the most aft cylinder and closest to the turbocharger. This allowed hot exhaust gases to escape into the engine compartment and start a fire in the immediate vicinity of the gap. There was also a broken weld at the induction tube that carried turbocharged air from the right turbocharger.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.