Kolb FIRESTAR N670JW

Summary

On 8 March 2003 at about 18:45 local time, a Kolb FIRESTAR registered N670JW was involved in an accident near San Diego, California, United States. 2 people were 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

8 March 2003 at 18:45

Classification

Accident

Location

San Diego, California, United States

Coordinates

32.5869, -117.0978

Aircraft

Kolb FIRESTAR

Registration

N670JW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Diego → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX03LA110

Nobody was injured.

propeller delamination due to the pilot's failure to properly secure the rear seat shoulder harness prior to flight. A contributing factor was the soft ground in which the airplane landed.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane nosed over following an emergency landing in an open field. The pilot was flying westward toward the coastline at 1,500 feet. He heard a "bang," and then felt abnormal vibrations. He elected to perform an emergency landing in an open field. Upon landing in the soft ground the airplane nosed over. Initial inspection revealed a splintered propeller. The manufacturer's examination of the carbon fiber composite propeller revealed numerous indentations on the leading edges and patterns consistent with a foreign object strike that occurred prior to blade delamination. The manufacturer identified a 1.9-inch-wide abrasion mark along the entire blade width that resembled patterns that are commonly associated with nylon safety belt webbing. The aircraft kit manufacturer reported that the standard harness webbing provided by them is 1.75 inches wide. The pilot said that the rear seat of the airplane had the standard factory supplied 3-point harness webbing and the pilot seat had an after market 4-point harness. The airplane is a high wing design, with the wing mounted above and behind the open cockpit. The engine and pusher propeller are mounted on top of the wing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.