Tony Dubeansky RV10 N878TD

Summary

On 16 June 2021 at about 12:30 local time, a Tony Dubeansky RV10 registered N878TD was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas, United States. One person was 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 June 2021 at 12:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Hicks Airfield (T67)

Coordinates

32.9302, -97.4114

Aircraft

Tony Dubeansky RV10

Registration

N878TD

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21LA273

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power due to a separated electronic ignition system connector. Contributing to the accident was the location of the ignition boxes, which provided limited access to the connectors for visual inspection.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during the initial climb following a touch-and-go landing, the engine backfired and lost partial power about 200 ft above ground level. The airplane descended and collided with a power line before impact with terrain and a tree, resulting in substantial damage. The airplane engine was equipped with an electronic ignition system and automotive-style sparkplugs. The ignition system was field-tested by passing a magnet over the flywheel ignition sensor; spark was observed only on one bank of the ignition system. The ignition leads and coil labels did not necessarily correspond to the associated cylinder, and the ignition firing order was not confirmed.   The ignition control boxes were located behind the firewall, and the fuselage was cut open to allow access to the boxes. The output cable on ignition box #1 was found disconnected and the pin connectors were not fully secured. The boxes could only be accessed from under the instrument panel and by reaching above the rudder pedals. The accident is consistent with a partial loss of engine power due to the disconnection of the #1 ignition box, likely as a result of not being fully secured. It is likely that the location of the ignition boxes, which limited access and visual inspection of the connections, contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.