Rand Robinson KR2 N886MJ

Summary

On 26 May 2019 at about 22:00 local time, a Rand Robinson KR2 registered N886MJ was involved in an accident near Poplar Grove, Illinois, 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

26 May 2019 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Poplar Grove, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Poplar Grove (C77)

Coordinates

42.3428, -88.8967

Aircraft

Rand Robinson KR2

Registration

N886MJ

Category

Airplane

Year built

2004

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Poplar Grove → Freeport

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19LA152

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power due to vapor lock of the throttle body injection system.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after departure, the pilot smelled oily smoke and noted a loss of engine oil pressure and an increase in oil temperature. The engine lost power, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a corn field. During the landing, the nosewheel dug into the field and the airplane nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the wings and vertical stabilizer. An examination of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would preclude normal operations. The source of the oil leak was not identified. The pilot later reported that, after researching and consulting with other pilots who operated the engine type installed on the accident airplane, he believed that the loss of engine power was the result of vapor lock in the throttle body injection (TBI) system. His research indicated that other airplane owners provide “blast cooling” on the TBI to fix the issue. The pilot said that the vapor lock issue likely started at the same time as the engine heated up due to the extra lean mixture. He added that the rear seal might leak and spray oil on the exhaust pipe. He stated that enriching the mixture might have corrected the issue inflight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.