Rans S12 N3165V

Summary

On 16 December 2018 at about 20:30 local time, a Rans S12 registered N3165V was involved in an accident near McClure, Ohio, United States. 2 people were 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

16 December 2018 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

McClure, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Private (PVT)

Coordinates

41.3711, -83.9422

Aircraft

Rans S12

Registration

N3165V

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

McClure → McClure

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19LA047

Nobody was injured.

The cold seizure of the cylinder/piston due to the pilot’s failure to adequately warm the engine before takeoff, which resulted in a loss of engine power during a departure climb.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot warmed the engine to 120°F before taxiing to the runway for departure on a personal flight. While the airplane was climbing through 50 to 100 ft above ground level, the engine lost partial power. He ensured the throttle control was full forward and pumped the throttle control twice, but the engine speed continued to decrease. The pilot performed an off-airport landing on a field, during which the airplane stuck a power line pole and the right wing impacted the ground. After the accident, the pilot reported the engine had low cylinder compression and scoring on the piston and cylinder walls. There were also aluminum fragments within the cylinder. He said that the engine was overhauled about 1 year before his purchase of the airplane by the previous owner. He stated that he was "fairly certain" that the engine did not have any problems before the accident flight. He said the engine radiator was not covered for cold weather operation. He believed the piston failure was due to cold seizure. According to the Rotax 2-Stroke Maintenance Schedule, the engine had a minimum coolant temperature of 150°F. Given the available information, it is likely that the engine lost partial power due to a cold seizure of the cylinder/piston.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.