Bradley Roderick W MURPHY RENEGADE N210SQ

Summary

On 14 August 2017 at about 20:20 local time, a Bradley Roderick W MURPHY RENEGADE registered N210SQ was involved in an accident near Guilford, Connecticut, 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

14 August 2017 at 20:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Guilford, Connecticut, United States

Coordinates

41.2808, -72.6733

Aircraft

Bradley Roderick W MURPHY RENEGADE

Registration

N210SQ

Category

Airplane

Year built

1995

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

New Haven → New Haven

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17LA276

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot stated that this was the first flight after the carburetors were inspected, repaired, and reinstalled on the engine. The pilot stated that he used automotive fuel with 5% ethanol and noted no water in the fuel during his preflight inspection. About 30 minutes into the flight, the engine lost total power, and the pilot made a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane struck powerlines and came to rest in the field, which resulted in substantial damage to the forward section of the fuselage. Earlier in the year, the pilot had the carburetors inspected and repaired twice as a result of a rough-running engine. Further, in a letter to the maintenance facility dated the month before the accident, he stated that he had the ignition modules replaced, spark plugs replaced, and multiple other engine components inspected because the engine continued to run "rough." The pilot stated that each time the carburetors were inspected, there was evidence of water in the fuel, and one of the fuel jets was corroded. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the left idle mixture screw had a small amount of corrosion on it; otherwise, no anomalies were noted with the engine that would have precluded normal operation. If there was water in the fuel, it could have resulted in the engine running roughly on previous flights and possibly the loss of engine power on the accident flight. However, the pilot did not note water in the fuel during his preflight inspection on the day of the accident. Additionally, engine manufacturer guidance stated that the engine was permitted to operate with up to 10% concentrations of ethanol in the fuel, and the pilot was using automotive fuel with 5% of ethanol, so that likely did not lead to the rough-running engine. Although the pilot reported various problems with the engine during the airplane's 90 flight hours before the accident, the postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any evidence of malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation; thus, the investigation was unable to determine the reason for the total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.