David L Thompson CHALLENGER II N518DT

Summary

On 5 August 2014 at about 17:20 local time, a David L Thompson CHALLENGER II registered N518DT was involved in an accident near Winterhaven, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 August 2014 at 17:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Winterhaven, California, United States

Coordinates

32.7378, -114.6533

Aircraft

David L Thompson CHALLENGER II

Registration

N518DT

Category

Airplane

Year built

2012

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Yuma → San Diego/el Cajon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA327

2 people were seriously injured.

A total loss of engine power during cruise for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s loss of control during the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot departed on a cross-country flight and climbed to cruise altitude when the engine suddenly experienced a total loss of power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine, but was unsuccessful. During the forced landing approach, at an altitude about 20 ft above ground level, the airplane encountered a wind gust, impacted the ground hard, and nosed over. The 2-cylinder, turbocharged engine was equipped with an electronic engine control unit (ECU) that controlled the ignition and fuel injection systems. While performing the engine prestart sequence during the wreckage examination, the No. 1 electrical system indicated an ignition fault, the source of which could not be determined; the No. 2 electrical system would not activate properly. Several attempts to start the engine were unsuccessful; the engine would stumble, backfire, produce black exhaust, and stop. Examination of the spark plugs revealed that only one plug was firing in each cylinder. The ECU did not contain non-volatile memory, and it could not be determined whether the ECU was functioning properly during the accident flight. Further, examination of the electrical system was not possible due to the damage sustained during the accident; therefore, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.