After inspecting the scene of the crash I figured out what happend. My muffler fell off in flight. this plane is set up to have the muffler hang off the bottom of the plane. the screws vibrated out and the muffler came loose.
The lesson of the day is to use locktite on your screws. Instead of using a few drops of locktite, I now have to spend $130 in a new ultra stick. It's an expensive lesson for me, but maybe not for you.
Sorry to hear about such a crash and for such a reason. However let me save you some trouble as you need not try to
patent "muffler loss". IT HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE!
Back in my early RC days when using a muffler was a relatively new thing, many engines could only accept the strap-on mufflers. Then as engines started being manufactured with bolt-on mufflers, I think I planted a couple dozen in the farmland around the fields. KNOW WHAT? NOT ONE ever sprouted up and grew mufflers! DRATS, bad seeds I guess! [X(][:-]
However in the past 30 years I have learned one thing, and when I don't do it I generally plant another muffler. That thing is to
retap the muffler or engine case -- where ever the mufflers screw into -- to a minimum of 6-32 -- and uses black steel Socket-Head bolts to hold the mufflers on any engine .25 up to a .90. Above that use #8s and 1.20 & above #10. I don't recall losing a muffler when I do what I know will work. Now being lazy, I don't always do the right thing and then I pay the fiddler! So, second time it gets done!
Best of luck in the future.