ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 134130
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| Date: | Wednesday 24 June 1998 |
| Time: | 17:10 LT |
| Type: | Extra EA-260 |
| Owner/operator: | George S. Coy |
| Registration: | N148GC |
| MSN: | 003 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 400 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming AE-IO-540 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Georgia, VT -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Highgate, VT (KFSO) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
After about 40 minutes of flight the pilot stated that the engine started producing 'very limited' power. The main fuel tank gauge indicated empty and the auxiliary fuel tank gauge, taken off the left tank, showed 1/4 to 1/3 full. The pilot turned on the boost pump, which had no effect, then made a forced landing to a field. During touchdown, the left main landing gear encountered a hole and collapsed. The wing auxiliary fuel tanks feed the main tank with gravity fuel lines. The left and main fuel tanks were found empty, and the right tank had about 7 gallons in it. The gravity fuel line from the right tank was disconnected from the main fuel tank, but no fuel flowed from the line. However, when the right tank vent line was removed, fuel flowed from the gravity fuel line. When a thumb was placed over the hole where the fuel vent line had been, fuel once again stopped flowing. The pilot stated there was an inordinate amount of mud daubers in the region due to heavy spring rains. When asked why he continued to fly the airplane when the main fuel tank gauge read zero, the pilot stated that the fuel gauges were unreliable and he used timing to determine fuel consumption.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadequate inflight decision and the loss of engine power due to a blocked vent line. A contributing factor was an unreliable fuel gauge.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB NYC98LA132
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Oct-2013 18:29 | Masen63 | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Phase, Narrative] |
| 23-Oct-2014 16:13 | Alpine Flight | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Operator] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 07-Apr-2024 10:16 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
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