Ward Rc 350 HP N901RC

Summary

On 18 October 2007 at about 22:45 local time, a Ward Rc 350 HP registered N901RC was involved in an accident near Magnolia, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 October 2007 at 22:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Magnolia, Texas, United States

Coordinates

30.2500, -95.6500

Aircraft

Ward Rc 350 HP

Registration

N901RC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Conroe → Houston

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW08CA016

Nobody was injured.

The in-flight fire and loss of engine power as a result of a ruptured fuel line for undetermined reasons. 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 3,000-hour private pilot reported that the experimental single-engine airplane was in cruise flight at 1,500 feet on a VFR cross-country when heat and smoke began to enter the cockpit. In a written statement, the pilot/owner stated that a steel-braided fuel line/hose ruptured and subsequently sprayed fuel on the exhaust and ignition wires, which caused intense heat that burned a hole thru the airplane's firewall. The pilot added that he immediately elected to initiate a forced landing to a field, and shortly before the airplane touched-down, the engine stopped producing power. The airplane landed short of the field and the left wing collided with two large fence posts and ruptured the fuel tank, which caused it to explode. The pilot and the two passengers exited the airplane from the right side before the airplane was completely consumed by fire. The pilot reported that the airplane's maintenance logbooks were onboard the airplane and were destroyed by the fire. He also stated that the fuel line was approximately three-years old, and he did not know how the rupture could have been prevented. The homebuilt airplane was reported to have accumulated a total of 677-hours and was powered by a 350 cubic inche Chevrolet engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.