Van's RV4 N7765X

Summary

On 7 June 2018 at about 15:00 local time, a Van's RV4 registered N7765X was involved in an accident near Butler, Pennsylvania, 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

7 June 2018 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Butler, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Pittsburgh/Butler Rgnl (BTP)

Coordinates

40.7561, -79.9506

Aircraft

Van's RV4

Registration

N7765X

Category

Airplane

Year built

2015

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Butler → Butler

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA163

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's improper decision to fly the airplane with a known engine problem and his improper modification of the engine control unit fuel delivery software, which led to the engine running too lean and resulted in a total loss of engine power during climb.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff on an extended crosswind leg about 800 ft mean sea level, the engine lost total power. The private pilot continued ahead and landed the airplane in a field. During the landing, the airplane impacted a wire fence and brush, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. During postaccident interviews, the pilot reported that this was the first flight after he had made maintenance repairs to the automobile-converted engine due to an engine failure 1 month before the accident. He stated that he installed an aftermarket engine control unit and modified the fuel delivery software, which resulted in the engine running too lean for flight and likely caused detonation and piston damage to occur. During the run-up before the accident flight, the pilot was aware that the engine was not producing power as it should. However, he decided to depart with a known engine problem, and his decision to do so led to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.