Glasair III N713MJ

Summary

On 20 October 2020 at about 22:10 local time, a Glasair III registered N713MJ was involved in an accident near Ford Heights, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 October 2020 at 22:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Ford Heights, Illinois, United States

Coordinates

41.5078, -87.5791

Aircraft

Glasair III

Registration

N713MJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chicago → Chicago

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21FA024

1 person died.

The loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was on a local flight and his flight track indicated he was returning to his departure airport when the accident occurred. A witness reported seeing the airplane at a low altitude “dragging” a light pole across the highway. The airplane then impacted the highway and came to rest in a wooded area alongside the road. Another witness reported that it sounded like the engine lost power and momentarily regained power before losing it again. The wing fuel tanks were breached in the accident, and the amount of fuel on board could not be determined. The two-bladed, constant speed propeller remained attached to the engine. One blade had minimal damage, the second blade’s tip was bent back, starting about mid-span, and the leading edge was rough; this damage was consistent with the propeller not rotating at the time of impact. The engine was equipped with an electric ignition system and was unable to be field tested. The engine examination did not identify any preimpact anomalies that would affect engine operation.   The witness statement and signatures on the propeller are consistent with a loss of engine power; however, a reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined based on the available evidence. Reviewed records show that ketamine was administered to the pilot after the crash. Thus, the postmortem toxicology results provide no evidence of any pre-crash use of potentially impairing substances by the pilot.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.