Jeremiah Jackson VANS RV-10 N262NJ

Summary

On 5 January 2013 at about 21:00 local time, a Jeremiah Jackson VANS RV-10 registered N262NJ, operated by J2Environmental LLC, was involved in an accident near Julian, California, 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

5 January 2013 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Julian, California, United States

Coordinates

33.0025, -116.7181

Aircraft

Jeremiah Jackson VANS RV-10

Registration

N262NJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

J2Environmental LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ramona → Ramona

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13LA085

1 person had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power due to oil starvation as a result of a disconnected oil line. Contributing to the accident was an insufficiently tightened oil line fitting.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that this was the fourth flight of the airplane's phase one flight testing. About 2 hours into the flight (with an airplane total time of 6 hours), the pilot observed the oil pressure reduce rapidly to about 5 pounds per square inch. He did not notice any other problems with the airplane or engine, but he declared an emergency and requested a direct approach to a nearby airport. Within 5 minutes, the engine lost all oil pressure and the engine lost power. The airplane was unable to reach any available airstrips; therefore, the pilot turned toward a winding dirt road on top of a ridge. While maneuvering to avoid obstacles at a trailhead, the airplane hit a steep embankment and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. During a postaccident examination, an oil line near the oil filter was found to be disconnected, most likely due to insufficient tightening of the fitting, which led to its loosening during cruise flight. The loosened fitting allowed oil to spray into the cowling and exit out the lower nose area. The pilot stated that there were no indications of oil leakage during the preflight inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.