| Crash location | 33.433889°N, 112.366945°W |
| Nearest city | Goodyear, AZ
33.435320°N, 112.358214°W 0.5 miles away |
| Tail number | N51FB |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 04 Jun 2017 |
| Aircraft type | Bob Frederick Titan T-51 |
| Additional details: | None |
On June 4, 2017, at 0917 mountain standard time, an experimental Bob Frederick (Titan Aircraft), Titan T-51 Mustang, N51FB, lost engine power during takeoff from Phoenix Goodyear Airport, Goodyear, Arizona. The flight instructor was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and aft fuselage during the forced landing. The airplane was registered to the builder, and operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot reported that immediately after takeoff, the airplane began to vibrate. It felt like one of the wheels was still spinning, so he applied the brakes, but it continued. As he transitioned the airplane to the downwind leg, the vibration increased and the engine began to stream smoke. As he initiated a return to runway 21, the cockpit filled with smoke, and the engine lost power. Unable to reach the runway, he landed short in the adjacent dirt area, where the landing gear collapsed.
The airplane was equipped with a Suzuki six-cylinder, 2.7-liter automobile engine. Post-accident examination revealed two holes in the lower left side of the engines crankcase, adjacent to the cylinder number 4 crankshaft journal.