Wingren Norman ESCAPADE N86RD

Summary

On 9 May 2022 at about 14:15 local time, a Wingren Norman ESCAPADE registered N86RD was involved in an accident near Brasstown, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 May 2022 at 14:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Brasstown, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Private (PVT)

Coordinates

35.0471, -83.9532

Aircraft

Wingren Norman ESCAPADE

Registration

N86RD

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

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA268

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the engine gearbox drive flange, which resulted in a nose gear collapse during the subsequent precautionary landing in tall grass.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff while on a local flight, the pilot, who was also the owner of the airplane, heard and felt an unusual vibration emanating from the engine. The pilot elected to return to the private airfield as the experimental automobile engine was still running. He declared an emergency as the engine was losing coolant, and the coolant and oil temperature steadily rose to very high levels. Fearing a complete engine failure, he elected to fly straight in and land on an un-mowed portion of the airport. As the airplane touched down the nose gear collapsed, causing the airplane to impact the terrain and come to a sudden stop that resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. The pilot, who was also an aircraft mechanic, examined the engine and discovered that the engine gearbox drive flange, also known as a “spider,” had failed. The three-eared flange had fractured outside of the splined driveshaft hole. The resulting failure threw parts into the radiator, puncturing it. The punctured radiator lost coolant, causing a subsequent engine over-temperature that likely would have led to a complete loss of engine power. Fearing an imminent loss of engine power, the pilot made a precautionary landing on an unimproved part of the airport.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.