Maule M-5-235C N6224M

Summary

On 20 July 2022 at about 14:15 local time, a Maule M-5-235C registered N6224M was involved in an accident near Three Forks, Montana, 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

20 July 2022 at 14:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Three Forks, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Three Forks (9S5)

Coordinates

45.8781, -111.5694

Aircraft

Maule M-5-235C

Registration

N6224M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

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

WPR22LA262

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to degraded and incorrectly maintained ignition system components. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s delay in turning the airplane towards the runway when the engine began to lose power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the first flight after the installation of avionics, and an overhauled engine, the engine started to lose power in the traffic pattern. The pilot continued to fly straight in the downwind leg of the traffic pattern and attempted to troubleshoot the problem. Despite his actions, he was unable to regain engine power and subsequently pitched for best glide and made a 180° right turn to land on the runway. By this time, the airplane had traveled too far on the downwind leg, and the airplane landed short of the runway. Postaccident examination of the engine’s single-drive dual magneto revealed that the right magneto capacitor wire was attached utilizing an automotive terminal, however, the wire had separated from the crimped portion of the terminal. Additionally, the left magneto P-lead had areas of exposed wire, which grounded the left magneto and prevented its operation. The compounded anomalies, on both the left and right magnetos, would have resulted in a total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.