William Wright AVID FLYER N613HH

Summary

On 1 April 2011 at about 16:45 local time, a William Wright AVID FLYER registered N613HH, operated by Color Country Electronics, was involved in an accident near Cedar City, Utah, 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

1 April 2011 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Cedar City, Utah, United States

Coordinates

37.7836, -113.1528

Aircraft

William Wright AVID FLYER

Registration

N613HH

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Color Country Electronics

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cedar City → Cedar City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA180

1 person had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power during initial climb for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal a specific anomaly that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was on a local test flight after restoring the airplane and flew for about 1 hour, performing maneuvers and touch-and-go landings. He then returned to the airport and picked up another pilot for a familiarization flight. About 1/2 hour into the second flight, the engine sputtered and lost power. The pilot subsequently made an emergency landing on an airstrip, and after performing some troubleshooting, he determined that fuel was not getting from the header tank to the engine. The pilot was able to eventually get the fuel flowing again and ran the engine for about 30 minutes on the ground, followed by accomplishing a successful run up. The pilot then departed the airstrip. He reported that the engine ran well until about 200 feet above ground level. The engine then lost all power, and the pilot glided the airplane into 15-foot-tall trees. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed modifications to the exhaust, intake, ignition, and fuel systems that were not approved by the manufacturer. At the conclusion of the examination, it could not be determined if there was a specific malfunction or a combination of the multiple modifications that led to the loss of engine power. According to FAA Advisory Circular AC 20-27F, Certification and Operation of Amateur-Built Aircraft, "Amateur builders are free to develop their own designs or build from existing designs.”

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.