Steven R Jackson HARMON ROCKET 2 N47SR

Summary

On 20 October 2000 at about 22:35 local time, a Steven R Jackson HARMON ROCKET 2 registered N47SR, operated by S. Jackson & T. Willis, was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 October 2000 at 22:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Houston, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.6105, -95.1194

Aircraft

Steven R Jackson HARMON ROCKET 2

Registration

N47SR

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

S. Jackson & T. Willis

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW01LA016

1 person was seriously injured.

The collapsing of the inner liner of the induction air hose, resulting in a restriction of airflow to the engine and subsequent loss of engine power. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After take off, and leveling out at 2,500 feet, the single engine airplane experienced a loss of power. The pilot immediately commenced a turn back to the airport. During the ensuing emergency descent, the pilot realized that he would not make the runway. During the impact, the right wing struck a tree, the engine tore away from the fuselage, and the wing fuel tanks ruptured as the airplane passed through high vegetation. During examination of the wreckage, the induction air hose was found disconnected from the cowling air scoop (clamp was not located). The inner lining of the hose appeared to be partially delaminated away from the inner circumference. With some modifications due to impact damage, the engine operated up to 1,200 RPM during a post accident run. The mechanic who supervised the run, stated that the engine would have been able to 'achieve full power', but was concerned that higher RPM would pull the engine loose from the makeshift mountings. Also, airflow was manually interrupted during the run, which precipitated a loss of power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.