Spectrum RX 550 UNREG

Summary

On 1 September 2011 at about 21:30 local time, a Spectrum RX 550 registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Hartland, Maine, 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 September 2011 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Hartland, Maine, United States

Coordinates

44.8592, -69.4836

Aircraft

Spectrum RX 550

Registration

UNREG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hartland → Hartland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11CA500

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power due to fuel contamination.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that, while on a local flight, he was circling a field when the engine stopped running. He then executed a forced landing to the field, which was not uniformly level. During the landing the right wing hit the ground and the airplane cartwheeled before coming to rest upside down. The pilot stated that he believed that water got into the gasoline, which caused the engine to stop running. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the wing was substantially damaged. No registration number was present on the airplane and no data plate was present on either the airplane or the engine. Review of Federal Aviation Administration records revealed that the airplane was not registered and the pilot was not certificated. The FAA also advised the NTSB that no maintenance records were recovered.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.