Rouse GLASAIR III N1YZ

Summary

On 16 August 2008 at about 14:50 local time, a Rouse GLASAIR III registered N1YZ, operated by David Cronin, was involved in an accident near Reno, Nevada, 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

16 August 2008 at 14:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Reno, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Reno/Stead (4SD)

Coordinates

39.6672, -119.8761

Aircraft

Rouse GLASAIR III

Registration

N1YZ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

David Cronin

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Minden → Reno

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX08LA268

Nobody was injured.

The excessively worn throttle/mixture linkage arms and pins and a missing mixture control linkage spring washer, which resulted in a loss of power due to an excessively rich mixture.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that as he turned toward the airport to land, black smoke was coming from under the cowling. The airplane was losing power, airspeed, and altitude; however, he was able to maintain enough airspeed to clear a cliff before touching down short of the runway. The airplane encountered uneven terrain, and the landing gear sheared off. An inspection of the engine revealed that all spark plugs and the entire exhaust path were very sooty, which corresponded to rich operation. Examination of the fuel servo revealed that it had excessively worn throttle/mixture linkage arms and pins. In addition, the mixture control linkage spring washer was missing. This linkage section is vital to maintaining the correct flows at throttle open positions, and the play noted was excessive.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.