I just ran across this information on the canard aviation forum:

   Perry Mick

   http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20051011X01613&key=1



   NTSB Identification: LAX05CA310.
   The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS).
   Please contact Records Management Division
   14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
   Accident occurred Monday, September 19, 2005 in Sonoma, CA
   Probable Cause Approval Date: 1/31/2006
   Aircraft: Clark Vans RV8, registration: N559JC
   Injuries: 1 Minor, 1 Uninjured.

   The experimental airplane collided with grapevines and support posts
   during a forced landing
   following a loss of engine power while on downwind for the runway.
   The pilot performed prelanding
   checks on downwind, and upon switching on the second fuel pump, the
   engine lost power. The pilot
   switched the fuel pump to the original position and selected the
   other fuel tank. Neither action
   caused the engine to regain its power. The pilot attempted to lower
   the electrically powered flaps
   to prepare for the emergency landing on the runway but the flaps
   failed to deploy. The airplane
   carried an excess of 30 to 40 knots while flying 10 to 20 feet above
   the runway; the pilot
   determined that he would easily overrun the 2,480-foot-long runway
   and impact structures at the end
   if he did not divert the airplanes path. He pulled up and turned
   left 180 degrees to dissipate the
   extra energy and landed along the vine rows of the neighboring
   vineyard. First responders reported
   that there appeared to be no fuel in the airplane's fuel tanks nor
   evidence of a post accident fuel
   spill or leak from the airplane. The pilot said that the airplane's
   electrical system powers the
   engine's electronic ignition, propeller pitch control, and flaps.
   Examination of the electrical
   system revealed that the "Master Power Switch" that was being used
   was an automotive keyed single
   pole single throw switch, and that the back was loose and coming
   apart, making the internal
   electrical contacts intermittent. This switch ties together power
   from the batteries and the
   alternator. Failure of this switch could result in the loss of
   ignition power to the engine.

   The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable
   cause(s) of this accident as follows:
   a loss of engine power due to the failure of the master electrical
   power switch, which removed power
   to the electronic ignition.

   Full narrative available


"But for the want of a nail............"
Brian Trubee


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