Accident Overview
During a cruise flight, the pilot of an experimental airplane reported that one of the two engines was surging. The pilot declared an emergency and received vectors toward the airport. The airplane subsequently collided with a field adjacent to the runway and caught fire.
Aircraft and Engine Information
The airplane was equipped with two experimental Engine AIR Power Systems TSIVD-427 engines. Each engine was rated at 500 horsepower, liquid-cooled, turbocharged, and of V8 configuration. The FAA operating limitations for the airplane restricted its operation to flight test only, with a proposed duration of 100 flight hours after the installation of the modified engines. No single-engine performance data was available for this airplane.
Pre-Accident History and Flight
Prior to the accident flight, the right engine had exhibited intermittent problems: it lost boost and then overboosted. Attempts to repair the issue were unsuccessful. Despite these issues, the pilot elected to fly the airplane to its home base for further troubleshooting. The airplane had a total flight time of 8 to 10 hours at the time of the accident. Records show that two days after the airplane's first test flight, the pilot flew the airplane from Melbourne, Florida, to an airport 336 nautical miles away, and subsequently to Canada to display it at a fly-in event.
Examination Findings
Examination of the engines and accessories revealed extensive fire and impact damage. For the right engine, continuity of the crankshaft, valves, rods, and pistons was confirmed by manually rotating the propeller reduction control unit.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause is the loss of power in one engine and the loss of control for undetermined reasons.