N51TMPapa 51 THUNDER MUSTANG

On June 21, 2022, about 1355 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Lightning airplane, N51TM, was involved in an accident near Canandaigua, New York. The private pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 91 personal flight.

According to recorded audio from the Canandaigua Airport (IUA) common traffic advisory frequency, about 1347, the pilot advised he was taxiing to runway 31. About 7 minutes later, he made a mostly unintelligible comment that included a reference to runway 31, consistent with announcing his takeoff.

A witness who was located about 350 ft northeast of the accident site reported seeing the airplane to the west of his position flying about 20 ft above a wheat field. The airplane disappeared over a hill. He went to the top of the hill, saw that the airplane had crashed in the field, and contacted law enforcement.

The pilot reported that he extricated himself from the cockpit and was airlifted to a hospital after sustaining serious injuries during the accident. The pilot’s wife reported that her husband’s only recollections of the accident were that he thought the field was flat but encountered a bump during the landing roll and that he turned off the fuel selector valve after the accident. He passed away more than 30 days after the accident.

The accident site was located about 3,170 ft north-northwest from the departure end of runway 31. Examination of the accident site by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector revealed the airplane came to rest upright with the nose landing gear collapsed; the airplane sustained minor damage. An engine monitor and portable GPS receiver were retained by NTSB for further examination; however, neither device contained any data associated with the accident flight. The airplane was recovered and secured in the pilot’s hangar for further examination.

Postaccident examination of the airplane by an FAA airworthiness inspector revealed adequate fuel in both wing fuel tanks; no contaminants were noted. An odor of fuel in the cockpit was associated with the left fuel supply line that separated from the fuel selector due to impact damage. During activation of the auxiliary fuel pump, a fuel smell was noted, but visual examination of the engine compartment could not identify the source. During a subsequent attempt to start the engine following activation of the auxiliary fuel pump, the flexible fuel hose from the gascolator to the engine-driven fuel pump separated from the outlet fitting of the gascolator. Inspection of the hose and clamp revealed the screw used to tighten the hose clamp was tight to turn, but the hose was not tight on the barbed fitting. The hose was tightly secured to the fitting by the inspector. The engine was started with the fuel selector positioned to the right fuel tank and operated normally when the throttle was advanced to partial power. At idle, the engine operated rough and lost power; this was attributed to the choke being partially on. Full power or prolonged engine operation was not possible due to the impact-damaged propeller blades.

According to maintenance records, the airplane’s last condition inspection was performed about 8 months and 14 operating hours before the accident. During the inspection, the pilot, who was the builder of the airplane, reportedly replaced a fuel line associated with the auxiliary fuel pump in the cockpit.

A representative of the airplane designer reported that a loose fuel hose at the outlet of the gascolator could introduce air into the fuel supply being delivered to the engine-driven fuel pump; this condition could result in reduced fuel flow and reduced engine power.

No determination could be made based on the available evidence as to the reason for the off-airport landing executed by the pilot.

On August 20, 2016, about 1000 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Kitfox 4-1200, N51TM, was substantially damaged while landing at Canandaigua Airport (D38), Canandaigua, New York. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the private pilot as a personal flight conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight that originated from Whitfords Airport (B16), Weedsport, New York, about 0920.The pilot reported that while landing on a turf airstrip adjacent to runway 31, a rudder pedal torque tube separated and the airplane departed the right side of the runway. The airplane subsequently impacted an uneven field and came to rest upright.

Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The separated section of rudder pedal torque tube was retained and forwarded to the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory for further examination. Metallurgical examination revealed that the vertical torque tube for the right rudder pedal fractured at a fillet welded intersection where it attached to a horizontal torque tube. The fracture surface exhibited a small thumbnail like fatigue region followed by an overstress region.

The single-seat, high-wing, tailwheel-equipped airplane, serial number C9406-0031, was assembled from a kit by the pilot in 2000 and issued an FAA experimental airworthiness certificate. Its most recent condition inspection was completed on August 8, 2016. At that time, the airframe had accumulated 547.4 total hours of operation. It had flown an additional 3.3 hours from the time of the last inspection, until the accident.

The FAA inspector that examined the wreckage further stated that although assembly of the accident airplane was completed in 2000, the kit was actually a 1994 model. On August 22, 1995, the kit manufacturer released Service Letter No. 47 (SL-47), applicable to the accident airplane model, which advised owners that the company had recently noticed signs of fatigue in rudder pedal torque tubes. The SL instructed owners to inspect the areas for fatigue and offered a reinforcement kit (P/N 35015.000) for $59.95. Further, in 2000, the kit manufacturer redesigned the rudder pedal torque tubes for subsequent models, to include a reinforcement similar to what had previously been offered in the reinforcement kit. The inspector added that the accident airplane was not equipped with the newer rudder torque tube design, nor was it equipped with the reinforcement kit offered in SL-47.