| Crash location | 26.845833°N, 80.222223°W
Reported location is a long distance from the NTSB's reported nearest city. This often means that the location has a typo, or is incorrect. |
| Nearest city | West Palm Beach, FL
26.715342°N, 80.053375°W 13.8 miles away |
| Tail number | N467L |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 12 Aug 2018 |
| Aircraft type | Pipistrel SINUS 912 |
| Additional details: | None |
On August 12, 2018, about 0840 eastern daylight time, Pipistral Sinus 912, N467L, was destroyed by fire following a precautionary landing at North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport (F45), West Palm Beach, Florida. The private pilot was not injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
According to the pilot of the motor glider, after dropping of a passenger from a previous flight he restarted the engine and taxied out to runway 27R. After checking his instrument gauges, he made a radio call indicating that he would remain in the traffic pattern. During takeoff he noticed the engine sounded "a little rough," and as he turned downwind he started to smell smoke. He shut down the engine and returned for landing. The landing was uneventful and when the aircraft stopped, the pilot noticed flames below the right door. He exited the airplane and the flames grew and eventually consumed the airplane.
Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the cockpit was consumed by the fire. Further examination of the motor glider's engine revealed that the exhaust manifold was cracked. The exhaust manifold was removed and sent to the NTSB Material Laboratory for further examination.