Incident Details
A turbine-powered airplane, equipped with a Rolls Royce (Allison) 250-B17F engine, departed after a routine start and taxi. During the climb, approximately 10 minutes after takeoff and while passing through 12,000 feet mean sea level, the engine stopped. The generator light illuminated and the torque needle dropped to zero.
Engine Start
Before departure, all fuel tanks (wings, tips, and fuselage) were filled with Jet-A fuel and Prist additive. During the first engine start attempt, N1 reached about 30% with no temperature rise, prompting the pilot to abort. After a five-minute wait, a second start attempt succeeded, with a peak turbine outlet temperature of 707 degrees Celsius.
Forced Landing
After the engine failure, the pilot attempted an inflight restart, which was unsuccessful. The pilot executed a forced landing onto Highway 16. Oncoming traffic forced the airplane to depart the side of the road, during which the nose wheel separated at the fork. The wings flexed during the off-road excursion, causing the spar web and cap to buckle downward.
Post-Accident Testing
Following the accident, the engine was functionally tested and operated successfully without anomalies.