Best Off SKYRANGER N4329R

Summary

On 8 July 2018 at about 10:43 local time, a Best Off SKYRANGER registered N4329R was involved in an accident near Houghton Lake, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 July 2018 at 10:43

Classification

Accident

Location

Houghton Lake, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Houghton Lake State (5Y2)

Coordinates

44.3261, -84.7883

Aircraft

Best Off SKYRANGER

Registration

N4329R

Category

Airplane

Year built

2002

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA280

1 person was seriously injured.

A partial loss of engine power during takeoff for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a local private flight when the airplane had a sudden loss of engine power shortly after takeoff. The pilot reported that after an uneventful takeoff, as the airplane climbed through 150 ft above ground level, the engine speed rapidly decreased from 6,200 rpm to 4,700 rpm. Despite the pilot's corrective actions, the engine continued to operate at a decreased power setting and the airplane was unable to maintain altitude. The pilot reported that there were trees ahead of the airplane's flight path, so he turned into the wind and maneuvered to land on a nearby golf course fairway. The pilot stated that the airplane had insufficient altitude and airspeed to flare normally, which resulted in a hard landing and substantial damage to both wings and the empennage. The pilot reported that he did not observe any anomalies during his preflight inspection or his before-takeoff engine runup, and that the fuel tank contained about 12 gallons of automotive fuel. A postaccident engine examination did not reveal any evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation during the flight. Although the atmospheric conditions were conducive for the formation of carburetor icing, the airplane's engine was equipped with carburetors with a variable-venturi design that are generally not prone to carburetor icing. Therefore, the reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined with the available evidence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.