Accident Details
On July 5, 2009, at approximately 0905 mountain daylight time, a T. Piper Murphy Rebel experimental airplane, registration N5PQ, experienced a sudden and total loss of engine power during the initial climb from runway 35 at Idaho Falls Regional Airport, Idaho Falls, Idaho. The home-built aircraft subsequently performed a forced landing on the airport, touching down hard and sliding off the runway onto adjacent grass, coming to rest about 100 feet from the runway. The impact broke portions of the fuselage and wings, resulting in substantial damage. The private pilot received a minor injury. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight, which was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. No flight plan had been filed, and the flight was originating at the time of the accident.
Pilot Report
The pilot, who built and maintained the airplane, reported that all systems operated normally during the pretakeoff checkout. The fuel tanks contained approximately 31 gallons of fuel. During the initial climb, the engine performed normally until reaching about 400 feet above the runway, at which point the engine "abruptly quit." The pilot initiated a forced landing to runway 20. However, while turning toward that runway, airspeed was lost, and the airplane touched down very hard before sliding off the runway and coming to rest on the grass.
Examination Findings
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane following the accident. The inspector found that all control cables retained their continuity, the fuel was clean with no contamination, oil was present in the sump, and the engine's crankshaft rotated. Very little fuel was present in the engine's flow divider, and no fuel was found in the injector lines. The inspector noted that the airplane was equipped with an electric fuel valve control switch that could be easily moved between positions. Following the FAA examination, the pilot had the engine examined independently. During that examination, the engine was operated and appeared to function normally. The pilot reported his belief that the engine lost power due to an interruption of fuel flow, appearing to have been "cut off."