Columbia, CA, USA
N10EZ
RUTAN VARIEZE
On September 05, 2022, about 0948 Pacific daylight time, a Rutan Varieze, N10EZ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Columbia, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot had been performing maintenance on the accident airplane and upgrading various systems. The weeks prior to the accident, he installed an Electroair electronic ignition system. The accident flight was the first flight out of maintenance. The radar and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) information disclosed that the airplane departed runway 17 about 0845. The airplane continued southeast about 8 nautical miles (nm) and then retuned back to the airport, landing on the same runway about 0858. The recorded data then shows that around 0903, the airplane departed and continued southeast in a climb for about 35 nautical miles (nm). After about 18 minutes, the airplane made a 180° left turn while passing through 13,500 ft mean seal level (msl). The airplane climbed to a peak altitude of 16,475 msl and then began a descent, maneuvering into a left traffic pattern for runway 35. The airplane made a high-speed pass over runway 35 and then continued north-northeast for about 5 nm. Thereafter, the airplane returned back to the airport and around 0945, it passed over the center of the airport at an altitude of 2,850 ft (see Figure 1 below). The airplane turned right and joined the right traffic pattern for runway 17. At 0946:56, the airplane turned onto the base leg and the airspeed decreased. Figure 1: Recorded ADS-B Data from End of the Accident Flight The recorded data further disclosed that at 0947:25, when the airplane was about 1.25 nm north of the runway, at an altitude of about 680 ft above ground level (agl), it turned onto final approach at an airspeed of about 70 kts. The remaining data stretched over a distance of 3,200 ft in 24 seconds, equating to a derived ground speed of about 66 knots and a descent of about 400 ft. The last ADS-B point was at an altitude of 195 ft agl and about 1,800 ft north of the accident location. A comparison of the first flight and the accident flight revealed that the speeds were similar during the landing approach. The first flight passed near the location of the last recorded ADS-B return about 75 ft higher (see Figure 2 below). Figure 2: Comparison of the First Flight and Accident Flight The accident site was located in a sparsely populated residential neighborhood in uneven terrain made up of large boulders, loose rocks, and numerous trees and brush. The main wreckage, consisting of a majority of the airframe and engine, was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the runway threshold. There was a northwest-southeast oriented main road located 375 ft east of the accident site and numerous other streets in the immediate area. The first identified point of impact was a 50-ft maple tree about 110-ft from the main wreckage on a bearing of 185°; the top of the tree had several severed limbs. Adjacent to the tree was a small portion of the outboard right wing cuff. The second point of impact was a large 80-ft tall fir tree located 90-ft from the wreckage on a bearing of 201°; there were severed branches about 35 ft up the tree (see Figure 3 below). Pieces of the nose and forward undercarriage were about 30 ft from the wreckage near a boulder that contained several ground scars. The right and left canard were found fragmented in the debris field around the ground scar and the main wreckage. The airplane fuselage came to rest inverted, and the wings remained attached. The wreckage was consistent with the nose gear being in the down position. The keys were not in the ignition, which was in the “off” position. Figure 3: Main Wreckage in Reference to the Runway Complete control continuity could not be verified due to the extensive impact-related damage. Fuel quantity at the time of impact could not be verified because the tanks were inverted and there was evidence of fuel leaking from the caps. The was two gallons of blue liquid consistent in odor with Avgas found in the right tank, the left tank was dry, and the header tank contained about six ounces. The same liquid was found when activating the accelerator pump in the carburetor, but the bowl was dry. The engine remained attached to the airframe by the engine mounts. Visual examination of the engine revealed no evidence of preimpact catastrophic mechanical malfunction or failure. The propeller was not damaged except for a bent tip on one blade as a result of the impact. A Safety Board investigator performed a complete disassembly of the engine. The cylinder’s combustion chambers remained mechanically undamaged, and there was no evidence of foreign object ingestion or detonation. The valves were intact and undamaged. There was no evidence of valve to piston face contact observed. The back of the intake valves and the intake pipes were sooty down through the intake manifold to the area above the butterfly valve of the carburetor. The ignition system was configured with the Electroair routed to the top spark plugs and the left magneto to the bottom spark plugs. The timing of both systems were verified to be within the engine manufacturer specifications. The magneto had two P-leads connected. Both wires were routed to the keyed-ignition switch: one attached to the “right” and one to the “left” position. Disassembly of the magneto revealed a fine carbon dust in the housing and the distributor brush was worn. The Electroair unit was recovered for functional testing at a later date. The wire from the coil pack to the bus (10 amp) was separated at the butt splice and had not been properly crimped on one side (barrel not depressed on one side); the wire was also chaffed where it had been routed along the fuel lines. The wire from the controller to the bus (3 amp) was also separated and not properly crimped (see Figure 4 below). The ignition switch for that wire had a tang bent and one wire was not connected; the switch was broken internally. Figure 4: Electric System Showing Wire Separations.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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