Pipistrel SINUS 912 N467L
12 August 2018 · West Palm Beach, Florida, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 12 August 2018 at about 12:40 local time, a Pipistrel SINUS 912 registered N467L was involved in an accident near West Palm Beach, Florida, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 12:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- West Palm Beach, Florida, United States
- Nearest airport
- North Palm Beach County Genera (F45)
- Coordinates
- 26.8458, -80.2222
- Aircraft
- Pipistrel SINUS 912
- Registration
- N467L
- Category
- Glider
- Year built
- 2006
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- West Palm Beach → West Palm Beach
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA18LA214
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The fatigue failure of the exhaust system manifold, which resulted in a ground fire after landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The private pilot of a motor glider was taking off when he noticed the engine sounded "a little rough"; as he turned downwind, he started to smell smoke. He reported that he shut down the engine and returned for an uneventful landing. When the motor glider stopped, the pilot noticed flames below the right door; the flames grew and eventually consumed and destroyed the airplane. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the exhaust manifold had various cracks on the tubing. Examination of the exhaust manifold revealed the fracture and cracking of the exhaust system manifold tubes was due to fatigue. The fatigue cracks on the exhaust manifold were progressive in nature and had likely been present for some time before the accident, allowing exhaust gasses to begin escaping into the engine compartment before reaching the muffler assembly. It is likely that the exhaust gases caused a flammable condition the that resulted in a ground fire after landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Pipistrel SINUS accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jul 2019 | Pipistrel SINUS | Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Aug 2019 | Pipistrel SINUS 912 | Oxford, Florida, United States | San Antonio Light Sport Aircraft Inc | No injuries | - |
| 10 Apr 2020 | Pipistrel SINUS | Townsend, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Oct 2011 | Pipistrel SINUS 912 | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Nov 2007 | Pipistrel SINUS 912 | Holt, Florida, United States | Rascorp Emerald Coast Inc | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Apr 2018 | Sasser Allen L SEAREY | Welaka, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Nov 2018 | Maule MX7 | Immokalee, Florida, United States | Ave Av Llc | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 2018 | Beechcraft 35 | Mayport, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jan 2018 | Foxfly FOXDOMINATOR | Indiantown, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 2018 | S Z D SZD 48 JANTAR STD 2 | LaBelle, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 13 Dec 2018 | Czech Sport Aircraft As PIPER SPORT | Punta Gorda, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |