Great Lakes 2T1A N3617L

Summary

On 24 September 2020 at about 23:00 local time, a Great Lakes 2T1A registered N3617L, operated by Association Aircraft, was involved in an accident near San Diego, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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

24 September 2020 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

San Diego, California, United States

Nearest airport

Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Air (MYF)

Coordinates

32.8143, -117.1412

Aircraft

Great Lakes 2T1A

Registration

N3617L

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Association Aircraft

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR20LA320

1 person was seriously injured.

A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined, which resulted in a hard landing off airport.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor reported that, during the first takeoff of the day, with the pilot receiving instruction on the flight controls, the engine lost power shortly after takeoff about 350 ft above the runway. The flight instructor took control and established a 75-mph glide and initiated a steep angle-of-bank turn attempting to return to the runway. The flight instructor checked that the throttle, mixture control, and propeller were full forward, and the fuel shutoff was in the ON position. During the descent, the airplane struck a tree then impacted a parking lot adjacent to the airport perimeter. A witness at the airport reported that he heard the engine sputtering and observed it level off about 300 ft above ground level while making a right turn. The engine lost power, the airplane slowed dramatically, and the nose of the airplane started going down. The airplane recovered enough airspeed to bring the nose up just before the collision with a tree north of the runway. The airplane came to rest upright with significant damage to the engine compartment, and substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The reason for the loss of engine power was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.