flyrotary@lancaironline.net Mailing List Archive

Sounds like there was a fire, but perhaps with both wings shed back of the aircraft there was little fuel to support the fire in the engine compartment. Still all in all one fortunately fellow.

Interesting comment on the one link about a possible muffler malfunction. I recall back in olden times the power of an engine could be severely compromised by the collapse of the exhaust tube/muffler restricting or stopping the flow of exhaust gas out of the engine - of course, no flow out => no flow in and no power.

Guess we'll have to wait for the investigation.

----- Original Message -----

From: Bill Bradburry

To: Rotary motors in aircraft

Sent: Friday, June 06, 2008 5:26 PM

Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: Mistral Crash

More stuff! Good video. Claim is made that the muffler malfunctioned to cause the crash??? Engine is undamaged.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/16474292/detail.html

http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=20600

Bill B

From: Rotary motors in aircraft [mailto:flyrotary@lancaironline.net] On Behalf Of Mark Steitle
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2008 8:42 AM
To: Rotary motors in aircraft
Subject: [FlyRotary] Mistral Crash

From today's AOPA epilot news. They state that the engine lost power on takeoff. Thankfully, the pilot was unhurt.

MISTRAL ENGINE PROTOTYPE CRASHES IN FLORIDA
A Piper Arrow powered by a prototype Mistral
( http://www.mistral-engines.com/ ) rotary aircraft engine crashed after the
engine lost power following takeoff from Palatka Municipal-Lt. Kay Larkin
Field in Florida. The owner, retired physician Stephen Roth of Deland, Fla.,
received minor injuries. The aircraft was used in 2004 for engine testing
( http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/epilot/2004/040409epilot.html ) at
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.