Jude Mike C SIDE WINDER N7524V

Summary

On 4 March 2017 at about 19:30 local time, a Jude Mike C SIDE WINDER registered N7524V was involved in an accident near Paynesville, Minnesota, 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

4 March 2017 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Paynesville, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Paynesville Muni (PEX)

Coordinates

45.3700, -94.7564

Aircraft

Jude Mike C SIDE WINDER

Registration

N7524V

Category

Airplane

Year built

2009

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Clear Lake → Paynesville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN17LA117

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection, during which he failed to ensure that there was sufficient coolant in the engine reservoir, which resulted in the engine getting too hot and the engine control module shutting down the engine.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was going to practice touch-and-go landings; during the first takeoff, he smelled engine coolant. As he turned onto the downwind leg, the engine lost total power. Unable to reach the runway, the pilot chose to conduct a forced landing in a field. Although the pilot stated that he checked the engine coolant level during the preflight inspection, a postaccident examination of the airplane revealed an insufficient amount of coolant in the reservoir. The radiator did not contain any coolant, and no leaks were detected in the coolant system. No other anomalies were noted with the engine. Given the small amount of coolant in the system and the lack of any leaks, it is likely that the pilot did not ensure that a sufficient amount of coolant was in the engine reservoir before takeoff, which resulted in the engine getting too hot and the engine control module shutting down the engine as designed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.