Czech Sport SPORTCRUISER N384SC

Summary

On 2 August 2023 at about 17:36 local time, a Czech Sport SPORTCRUISER registered N384SC, operated by Aviators Flight Academy, was involved in an accident near Van Nuys, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 August 2023 at 17:36

Classification

Accident

Location

Van Nuys, California, United States

Nearest airport

Van Nuys (VNY)

Coordinates

34.2158, -118.4882

Aircraft

Czech Sport SPORTCRUISER

Registration

N384SC

Category

Airplane

Year built

2015

Engines

1

Operator

Aviators Flight Academy

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR23FA299

2 people died.

The misalignment of the carburetor piston slides, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power, and the flight instructor’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during an emergency landing, leading to an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the instructional flight, the student pilot and flight instructor were practicing touch-and-go landings. On the third takeoff, the airplane climbed to about 430 ft above ground level (agl) and, after turning onto the downwind leg, made a 360° turn. During that time, the flight instructor reported to an air traffic controller that they were experiencing some loss of engine power. The airplane continued on the downwind leg and the controller cleared it to land on any runway. The instructor further stated that they were having exhaust gas temperature (EGT) issues. The airplane continued to descend until abeam the runway threshold and then entered a steep left bank at an altitude of about 195 ft agl. The investigation was unable to determine if the pilots banked the airplane to land on a taxilane that was perpendicular to the runway, or if they were turning an early base leg to land on a runway. The bank steepened and the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall, impacting an asphalt ramp in a near-vertical attitude. The airplane was equipped with an engine monitoring system that would display a flashing warning and sound an audible "EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATURE" alert if the EGT exceeded the maximum EGT for the engine. The engine was equipped with two carburetors, each containing a piston that controlled fuel delivery. Postaccident examination revealed that both carburetor piston slides were misaligned and the index tabs were not engaged, likely from improper maintenance of the assembly. This misalignment can result in engine vibrations and would likely affect the overall performance of the engine, including EGT fluctuations. The investigation was unable to determine when the carburetors were last disassembled.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.