Clark James T VANS RV8 N559JC
14 July 2017 · Spokane, Washington, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 14 July 2017 at about 20:30 local time, a Clark James T VANS RV8 registered N559JC, operated by Jonathan Liard, was involved in an accident near Spokane, Washington, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 20:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Spokane, Washington, United States
- Nearest airport
- Felts Field (SFF)
- Coordinates
- 47.6831, -117.3225
- Aircraft
- Clark James T VANS RV8
- Registration
- N559JC
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2004
- Operator
- Jonathan Liard
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Spokane → Spokane
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR17LA153
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
An inflight engine fire for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information, which melted the air filter element and obstructed the engine's air intakes, resulting in a total loss of engine power.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that, shortly after takeoff, the engine began to "act erratically" and surged. The pilot initiated a turn back toward the airport, during which the engine lost total power and began producing black smoke. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to an open field, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage. Examination revealed that the automotive engine's air filter element had sustained fire damage, and debris consistent with molten air filter material was in the throats of both intake openings. It is likely that the engine lost power due to ingestion of molten foam air filter, which obstructed the air intakes; however, how the filter became fire-damaged was not determined. There were no other mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the engine.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jul 2017 | Randall Marvin L VANS RV 3A | Spokane, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Jul 2017 | Cessna 172S | Seattle, Washington, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Jun 2017 | Bell 206B | Entiat, Washington, United States | JP Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 2017 | Robinson R22 | Kelso, Washington, United States | Hillsboro Aero Academy | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 2017 | North Wing Uum SPORT X2 912 | Chelan, Washington, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 3 Dec 2017 | Cessna 152 | Everett, Washington, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |