Europa XS N120EJ

Summary

On 13 April 2019 at about 18:45 local time, a Europa XS registered N120EJ was involved in an accident near Winters, California, 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

13 April 2019 at 18:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Winters, California, United States

Coordinates

38.5533, -121.8667

Aircraft

Europa XS

Registration

N120EJ

Category

Airplane

Year built

2012

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Davis/Woodland/Winters → Davis/Woodland/Winters

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19LA108

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to properly install a wrist pin circlip, which resulted in internal damage to the No. 5 cylinder and a subsequent total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a local flight, the pilot, who was also the builder of the airplane, heard a noise accompanied by a sudden vibration and partial loss of engine power. He noted that the No. 5 cylinder exhaust gas temperature was abnormally low. He recycled the throttle, but the vibration persisted, and the engine lost total power. The pilot performed a forced landing into a field, during which the airplane nosed over and was substantially damaged. The pilot had removed cylinder Nos. 3 and 5 from the airplane to install new piston rings several months (4 flight hours) before the accident. Postaccident examination revealed internal catastrophic damage to the No. 5 cylinder and engine case, consistent with a No. 5 cylinder wrist pin circlip being improperly installed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.