ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 278945
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| Date: | Thursday 16 May 2019 |
| Time: | 14:35 LT |
| Type: |  Zenith CH-750 |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | N750GZ |
| MSN: | 75-10231 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2018 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 57 hours |
| Engine model: | Corvair 3.0 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Savannah, Tennessee -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Stanthorpe Airport, QLD (SNH/YSPE) |
| Stanthorpe Airport, QLD (SNH/YSPE) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot was conducting a personal flight in the experimental amateur-built airplane, and after departing the local area, noticed the DC electrical bus voltage decrease from 13.6 volts to 12.5 volts. He initiated a turn back to the airport and about 2 minutes later, the DC bus voltage decreased to 0 volts and the engine stopped producing power. The pilot performed a forced landing to an open field, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage.
The airplane was constructed such that the engine was electrically dependent on a single alternator and a single battery to provide required electrical power to operate the fuel pump and ignition systems. Examination of the airplane revealed that the alternator circuit breaker, which was located behind the instrument panel and out of view of and inaccessible to the pilot, was tripped. Based on the pilot's description of events, it is likely that an electrical load drew an excessive current through the alternator circuit breaker, which resulted in it tripping and interrupting the electrical power supplied by the alternator. The engine's electrically-operated fuel and ignition systems continued to function on battery power for about 2 minutes before the engine stopped running. The pilot's reported inability to restore electrical power (and subsequently, engine power) at a low altitude resulted in the forced landing.
Probable Cause: The total loss of engine power due to a loss of all electrical power. Contributing to the accident was the inaccessible placement of the alternator circuit breaker and the construction of the airplane without a backup electrical source.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ERA19LA177
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Jun-2022 13:08 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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