Amateur-built AVENTURA 2 N700WS accident near Rockledge, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during a forced landing following a loss of engine power, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate inspection of the engine, which resulted in a loose ground wire lug on a fuel pump and the subsequent loss of engine power.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that he was conducting touch-and-go landings on a river. About 300 feet above ground level, the engine began to misfire and subsequently failed. The pilot did not have sufficient altitude to switch fuel pumps and attempt an engine restart, so he chose to conduct a forced landing. During the landing flare, the airplane lost lift, landed hard on the water, and nosed over. Examination of the engine found that a ground wire lug on the No. 1 fuel pump was loose, which caused the ground wire to have intermittent contact with the lead and likely caused the fuel pump to malfunction and the engine to subsequently lose power. The most recent conditional inspection was completed about 10 months before the accident. The pilot, who was a certificated experimental aircraft repairman and conducted maintenance on the airplane, stated that he "must have missed this item on his last inspection."

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA14LA309 for the full record.