Van's RV-10 N255CP

Summary

On 3 August 2022 at about 15:10 local time, a Van's RV-10 registered N255CP, operated by Sierra Papa Delta LLC, was involved in an accident near Hurst, Illinois, 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

3 August 2022 at 15:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Hurst, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Dury Estates Airpark (IL71)

Coordinates

37.8181, -89.1524

Aircraft

Van's RV-10

Registration

N255CP

Category

Airplane

Year built

2014

Engines

1

Operator

Sierra Papa Delta LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Carbondale → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA361

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

About a year before the accident, the pilot replaced the carburetor as a troubleshooting effort because the airplane had sustained previous loss of engine power events that he attributed to carburetor icing. About two weeks before the accident, the pilot completed an annual inspection and engine condition inspection. Before the post-maintenance test flight, he completed an engine ground run with no anomalies noted. After takeoff, he climbed the airplane to 8,100 ft above ground level (agl), flew for a few minutes and confirmed that all instruments showed normal indications. The pilot reduced engine power and started a slow descent to 2,600 ft agl. When he leveled the airplane and advanced the throttle the engine ran rough, so he applied carburetor heat and turned on the fuel boost pump, but the engine roughness did not improve. The pilot maneuvered for an emergency landing and landed hard in a bean field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts and fuselage. After the accident, the left fuel tank contained 9 gallons of fuel and the right tank contained about 19 gallons of fuel. The carburetor bowl also contained fuel. The pilot stated that the airplane had not been flown for about a year and that the fuel in the fuel tanks at the time of the accident was the same fuel from a year ago. Neither the engine nor the airplane was made available for a detailed examination. The recorded engine data did not reveal a reason for the loss of engine power. It is possible that the loss of engine power was due to carburetor icing that could not be completely alleviated with the use of carburetor heat. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.