The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
On the Record: Zenith CH 750 — California
Severe piston erosion from improper fuel forces a levee landing. The post On the Record: Zenith CH 750 — California appeared first on AvBrief.com.
August, 2018
The pilot reported that they flew in the local area for about 20 minutes, and then smoke entered the cockpit. The pilot declared an emergency and headed toward the departure airport. Within 1–2 minutes, the engine lost all oil pressure and then lost total power. The pilot initially attempted to glide to the airport but, because it was too far away, decided to land on a road atop a nearby levee. The airplane touched down normally, but due to wind, the left wingtip struck the ground; the airplane spun, veered off the levee, and sustained substantial damage to the wing and fuselage.
The engine, a ULPower 350iS, was disassembled and examined in detail. All four pistons displayed evidence of significant erosion damage consistent with detonation, with at least one piston eroded to the point that it could no longer seal against the cylinder wall. A common cause of detonation is using a lower-octane fuel than specified by the manufacturer. The damage was consistent with the use of fuel with an octane rating significantly below that required for the engine. Although the pilot did not specify the octane rating of the fuel that he used, it is likely that he used fuel below the required octane rating.
NTSB Final Report
NTSB Docket
The post On the Record: Zenith CH 750 — California appeared first on AvBrief.com.