Kenneth Parmerter LOEHLE 5151 MUSTANG UNREG

Summary

On 4 July 2002 at about 17:30 local time, a Kenneth Parmerter LOEHLE 5151 MUSTANG registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Lake Placid, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 July 2002 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake Placid, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Lake Persimmon Airstrip (O3FA)

Coordinates

27.3531, -81.4081

Aircraft

Kenneth Parmerter LOEHLE 5151 MUSTANG

Registration

UNREG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lake Placid → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA02LA121

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed and his inflight loss of control while maneuvering to land following an engine failure. Contributing to the accident was the builder/owner's improper engine installation that resulted in engine overheating and ceasing to operate.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was conducting a test flight and had just made a low pass over the runway, and was turning to base when he noticed a reduction in engine rpms. He said he "steepened" the turn in an attempt to make it back to the runway, and stalled the airplane. He said the airplane fell like a rock, impacting the ground with the right wing down, at a near 45-degree angle with the horizontal, shattering the wooden right wing and damaging the fuselage. An FAA licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic with an inspection authorization rating, examined the accident airplane and stated that the engine had been improperly installed and had not been properly vented back to the expansion tank. He said he found hot spots on the cylinder head, consistent with there having been trapped air in the cylinder head, which resulted in excessive internal temperatures in the engine causing it to cease operating.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.