Accident Glasair I RG N118CV,
ASN logo
ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 231984
 
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information. If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.

Date:Monday 6 January 2020
Time:18:24 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic GLAS model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Glasair I RG
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N118CV
MSN: 255
Year of manufacture:2008
Total airframe hrs:405 hours
Engine model:Superior XPO-320-B1AC2
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Mount Sterling, Montgomery County, KY -   United States of America
Phase: Landing
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Mount Sterling Montgomery County Airport, KY (KIOB)
Destination airport:Mount Sterling, KY
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The pilot departed his home airport, remained in the traffic pattern and performed "several" touch-and-go landings, flew about 20 miles to a nearby airport, returned to his home airport, and performed another takeoff. Shortly after takeoff, the engine stopped producing power while the propeller continued to "windmill." The pilot said that he rotated the fuel selector from the "main tank" to the "header tank" position and that he turned the electric fuel boost pump on, but engine power was not restored. The airplane struck trees and terrain during the forced landing and sustained substantial damage, and the pilot was seriously injured.
Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed that the two main and the header fuel tanks were compromised by impact, but continuity was confirmed through the entire fuel system with compressed air. The fuel selector was in the 'Off' position and was immobilized in that position by impact damage. The pilot reported no deficiencies with the performance and handling of the airplane before the loss of engine power, and a postaccident engine run on the airframe revealed the engine started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran continuously without interruption.
The pilot reported the airplane's header tank contained 9 gallons of fuel and that the airplane averaged a fuel consumption rate of 8 gallons per hour. Based on the capacity of the header tank, the airplane's fuel consumption rate, the as-found position of the fuel selector, and the successful postaccident engine run, it is likely the pilot inadvertently conducted the entire accident flight with the header tank selected, exhausted its fuel supply, then rotated the selector to the 'Off' position after the engine lost power.

Probable Cause: The pilot's mismanagement of the fuel selector, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: ERA20LA069
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 8 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB ERA20LA069
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=118CV


Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
06-Jan-2020 23:44 Geno Added
07-Jan-2020 02:45 Geno Updated [Operator, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
07-Jan-2020 07:11 RobertMB Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Source, Narrative]
07-Jan-2020 07:12 RobertMB Updated [Operator]
07-Jan-2020 20:00 Captain Adam Updated [Narrative]
09-Jun-2021 07:46 aaronwk Updated [Time, Source, Damage, Narrative]
08-Jul-2022 11:40 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category, Accident report]

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org