Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Newport, Oregon 97365
Wednesday, October 25, 1995 13:15 PDT

While descending to the destination airport, the airplane broke out of the clouds about 600 feet above the ground and the pilot cancelled his IFR flight plan. Immediately after descending out of the clouds, witnesses reported that the engine began to 'sputter,' then quit. They observed the airplane impact level terrain during a rapid rate of descent. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the vernier mixture control was found in the idle cutoff position, and the throttle was found in a cruise power position. The airplane also had an additional manual turbocharger vernier control, and it was found partially engaged. The pilot received serious head injuries and stated that he cannot remember the accident flight. He had logged 11 hours in the accident airplane during the 105 days preceding the date of the accident. He had not flown the accident airplane, or any other turbocharged airplane with similar cockpit controls, prior to that time. He had flown eight consecutive flights in airplanes that had dissimilar cockpit controls prior to the accident flight and subsequent to his last flight in type.

the pilot's inadvertent shut-off of the fuel mixture control. Factors contributing to the accident were: the pilot's failure to perform adequate remedial action to regain engine power, his lack of familiarity with the accident airplane, and his failure to obtain/maintain a proper descent rate during the forced landing.