ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 135318
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| Date: | Sunday 16 November 2003 |
| Time: | 21:15 |
| Type: |  Rutan Long-Ez |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N534S |
| MSN: | 177 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming 0235L2C |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Maui, HI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Honolulu, HI (PHHN) |
| Novato, CA (KDVO) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The engine lost power during cruise over the ocean, and the pilot ditched the airplane. The airplane was at 12,000 feet mean sea level (msl) when the engine began to experience variations of 100 rpm. The variations smoothed when the pilot adjusted the mixture, and he initially thought the variations were due to carburetor icing. After a few minutes, the conditions worsened and he turned the airplane toward an island located approximately 175 nm away. The oil pressure decreased to about 40 psi. The pilot announced a "MAYDAY" call when he realized that the oil pressure was still decreasing. The pilot began a low-powered descent, and began pumping oil into the engine using a hand pump that he had installed prior to the flight. The oil pressure decreased to 5 to 10 psi. When the airplane was at 4,000 feet msl, about 90 nm northeast of Kahalui, the engine seized. The pilot then ditched the airplane in the ocean, and the U.S. Coast Guard rescued him several hours later. Part of the airframe and the engine washed ashore on a beach about 30 days after the accident. Inspection of the remaining parts of the engine disclosed no definitive evidence of what precipitated the loss of engine power.
Probable Cause: The loss of engine power during cruise flight for an undetermined reason, which resulted in an emergency descent and ditching.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20031122X01941&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Dec-2017 20:21 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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