NTSB Factual Report

On June 18, 2007, about 2015 eastern daylight time, N4022P, an experimental amateur-built Harpster Hawk Aero Tandem airplane, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage during an emergency landing following a loss of engine power during cruise near Southern Pines, North Carolina. The personal flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was on file. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot and passenger reported no injuries. The local flight originated from Moore County Airport, Pinehurst/Southern Pines, North Carolina, at approximately 2000.

The pilot's statement to a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector, in part, stated:

The airplane had 178 hours on it as of December of 2006. At that

time, I pulled the engine and shipped it to the distributor, Recreational

Power, to have some work done. I had been having problems with

harmonics at certain RPM ranges. They discovered some internal

problems and ended up rebuilding the entire engine. I flew the plane

for the first time this year on March 7. Since then, I have flown with

the rebuilt engine for 11.1 hours, and it had been running great. This

was a big improvement. On Monday, my neighbor, ... asked me to

take him flying. We had been up for about 40 minute when, for no

apparent reason, the engine quit. I looked around and spotted a large

soccer field that I could land on. After turning in that direction, I

managed to restart the engine. We had lost about 400 feet of altitude

(from 1200' msl to 800'). I immediately started to climb and turned

towards the Moore County Airport, where I am based. We were only

about five miles away. After maybe 45 seconds, the engine quit a

second time. I lined myself up with a hole on Midsouth golf course,

which was straight in front of me and attempted to restart the engine.

The engine did start a second time, but again, I had lost several hundred

feet of altitude. By this time I was over the tee box of the course and

only a couple of miles for the airport. I attempt to climb again but the

engine quite after only about fifteen seconds. By this time I had traveled

more than half the length of the fairway and had climbed a hundred feet

or so requiring me to make a very short field landing. I also had sand

traps and mounds directly in front of the green. I was able to put the

plane on the ground but struck one of these mounds collapsing the nose

gear on the front of the plane and bending the tail section; both which I

can repair.

The Fire Marshal for the Southern Pines Fire/Rescue department stated that liquid was observed in the airplane's fuel tanks when the airplane was disassembled.

N4022P was registered as an experimental amateur-built Harpster Hawk Aero Tandem airplane, serial number H1143-A-TRI-2706. The engine was a two cycle, two cylinder, fuel injected, 65-horsepower Hirth 2706, serial number 895816. The engine drove a three-bladed Ivoprop, serial number 11R2200.

The website for the repair facility that had rebuilt the engine stated that the Blue Max two cycle oil's recommended fuel and oil ratio was 100:1. An engine manual supplement noted that the recommended fuel and oil mixture was 90:1 for fuel injected engines. The website contained an engine description which, in part, stated:

2706 incorporates Al-Nikasil coated cylinders for superior

performance and reliability. Al-Nikasil in simple terms is a nickel

based material, applied in a paste form, when super heated it becomes

part of the cylinder itself. Al-Nikasil provides for a super low

coefficient of friction, reducing engine heat and wear. The pistons

and cylinders expand at the same rate thus providing for a seizure

resistant engine. 2706 crankshaft is 4130 chromemolly steel. Heads,

cylinders, rings, block casting, connecting rods and associated

components are all of the highest grade alloys available.

The pilot, in part, reported:

The way I handle my fuel is simple. I have a gas caddy that holds

thirty gallons. I also have a platform that plugs into the hitch

receiver on my vehicle. When I need fuel, the gas caddy is laid

flat on the platform, and I drive about five miles to an Exxon

station where I buy my fuel. At this time I add one quart of

Bluemax two cycle oil to the caddy with twenty five gallons of 93

octane gas. My mixing [ratio] is 100-1. The oil is the

manufactures recommended oil. I never buy more or less than

the twenty five gallons and the oil colors the gas green. The five

mile drive back to the airport well mixes the oil and gas. This is

the procedure I have followed since I built the plane six years ago.

The engine was shipped to the repair facility. A representative of the facility stated:

This engine experienced a piston seizure of the mag[neto] end piston.

As customer re started engine 2 times after initial seizure it is not

possible to determine exact cause because of extensive damage

done to piston by the re starts. The PTO side piston is undamaged

and from inspection of this cylinder it appears that possibly there

was too lean of an oil mix in the fuel.

NTSB Probable Cause

The loss of engine power during cruise due to the piston seizure for undetermined reasons and the unsuitable terrain the pilot encountered during the forced landing. A factor was the rising terrain of the mound that the airplane impacted.