Douglas A4L N132AT accident near Fallon, Nevada

Probable cause

A loss of engine power during takeoff due to the failure of the engine's stator and turbine. Contributing to the accident was inadequate maintenance.

NTSB analysis

According to the pilot, he entered a right-hand climbing turn after departure and the engine experienced a loss of thrust. The pilot reversed direction and attempted to land on the runway in the opposite direction, but the airplane was too low and slow to make it back to the runway. He elected to steer the airplane in the direction of an empty field and successfully ejected. The operator reported that their postaccident examination of the engine determined that the protective coating on the turbine blades and stators had degraded. This degradation led to the eventual failure of the stator vanes and then the turbine blades. They could not establish the exact reason for the degradation of the protective coating.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR10LA339 for the full record.