NTSB Identification: NYC99LA141

  Accident occurred JUN-14-99 at MARTINSBURG, WV
  Aircraft: Prendergast SEAWIND, registration: N8190J
               Injuries: 1 Uninjured.

 This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may
contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when
the final report has been completed.

On June 14, 1999, about 1330 eastern daylight time, a Seawind
homebuilt airplane, N8190J, was substantially damage after
experiencing a loss of power during climbout from Eastern West
Virginia Regional Shepherd Airport, Martinsburg, West Virginia.
The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. Visual
meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was
filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
About 1100, the pilot went to the airport, and reinstalled the
airplane's engine cowling, and propeller. He then preflighted
the airplane about 1500. After boarding and completing the pre
start checks, the pilot started the airplane's engine on the
first attempt.

It ran "smoothly", and he noticed no anomalies. He then taxied
the airplane short of runway 26, and completed the run-up
checks. During the run-up checks, he stabilized the engine rpm
at 4,500, and scanned the instrument panel for deficiency, but
found non. While holding short of runway 26, the pilot visually
checked for traffic, announced his intentions on UNICOM, taxied
on to the runway, and advanced the throttle. The pilot scanned
both the flight instruments and engine instrument during the   
ground roll, and noticed no discrepancies. He estimated that
airplane became airborne approximately 2,000 feet down the
runway. Once airborne, he retracted the flaps, and raised the      
landing gear. About 500 feet agl, the pilot executed a left turn
to stay within glided distance of the airport. Approximately 30 
degrees through the turn, the airplane experienced a loss in
power. The propeller continued to windmill, but the engine did
not responded to throttle movements.

The pilot realized he was not going to make the runway, so he
positioned the airplane to land in a grassy field. He felt the
airplane would slide better with the landing gear retracted, so
he left it up. The pilot reported that the airplane touched down
smoothly. Then, the left wing made contact with rising terrain.
The airplane rolled right, and the right wing separated on
ground contact. The airplane continued to slide on its right
side until coming to a stop. The pilot estimated the ground
slide was approximately 500 feet. After coming to a stop, the
pilot secured the ignition and shut off the electrical master
before exiting.

He estimated that the airplane had approximately 20 gallons of
fuel onboard when the engine lost power. The pilot stated that
he had acquired the engine from a "junk yard," and that it was
equipped with electronic ignition. He also stated that this was
the airplane's third flight since completion. During the
previous two flights, the airplane accumulated about 1 hour of
flight time. In addition, on the previous flight, the engine
overheated, and lost all of its coolant. Because of the
overheating problem, the pilot checked the engine baffling, and
cooling system. He also enlarged an opening in the engine
cowling to increase airflow. According to the pilot, he had
logged approximately 2,100 hours of total flight experience.
About 1,050 hours in single engine land, and about 1,050 hours
in multi engine land.

End of quote.


Does anybody know what kind of "junk yard" engine this was?
I wonder why the NTSB does not ask what kind of engine it is.

Paul Lamar

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