Irwin THORP T-18 N2819L

Summary

On 26 October 2001 at about 18:25 local time, a Irwin THORP T-18 registered N2819L was involved in an accident near Longmont, Colorado, 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

26 October 2001 at 18:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Longmont, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

40.1697, -105.1097

Aircraft

Irwin THORP T-18

Registration

N2819L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Longmont → Longmont

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN02LA005

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a forced landing. A contributing 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

The pilot was conducting a test flight to do a further "run-in" on the engine, which had 3.0 hours since major overhaul. He stated that the engine ran smoothly and that all pressures and temperatures were normal prior to a point on the return flight where at approximately 5 miles northeast of the airport, the engine temporarily faltered. At that point, the pilot was able to reestablish power by manipulating the mixture control lever. He was concerned about his position over a densely populated area and modified his approach by circling south of the airport. At approximately 4 miles south of the airport, the engine began to run rough and quit, "similar to a fuel starvation failure." The pilot was unable to regain engine power and he landed the airplane in a field. During the landing roll, he applied the brakes, and the airplane tipped nose down. Fuel samples taken prior to the flight and after the recovery of the airplane revealed no evidence of fuel contamination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.