Hatcher Roderick R CH701 N3701M

Summary

On 15 October 2016 at about 19:40 local time, a Hatcher Roderick R CH701 registered N3701M was involved in an accident near Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were 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

15 October 2016 at 19:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, United States

Coordinates

40.9750, -75.5367

Aircraft

Hatcher Roderick R CH701

Registration

N3701M

Category

Airplane

Year built

2010

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Benton → Stroudsburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17LA016

1 person was seriously injured.

A total loss of engine power during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot of the experimental amateur-built airplane reported that the airplane had been flying uneventfully for about 40 minutes when it lurched and the engine experienced a partial, then total, loss of power. He placed the carburetor heat control to the high setting and established the airplane's best glide airspeed. The pilot then attempted to restart the engine. Although it initially started, the engine would not develop power and shut down after a few seconds. Two additional restart attempts were also unsuccessful, and the pilot subsequently performed a forced landing into trees. Postaccident examinations of the airframe and engine, which included an engine test run, did not reveal evidence of preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions, and there was sufficient fuel onboard at the time of the accident. Although the weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power, the engine was operating at a cruise power setting at the time of the power loss and the pilot applied carburetor heat at the first indication of a problem, which did not restore engine power. Therefore, the investigation was unable to determine the reason for the total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.