ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 275760
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| Date: | Sunday 20 February 2022 |
| Time: | 11:15 LT |
| Type: |  Navion A (L-17B) |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N5042K |
| MSN: | NAV-4-1654 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1948 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3805 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental IO-520B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Staunton, IL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | St. Louis Regional Airport, IL (ALN/KALN) |
| Livingston, IL | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot receiving instruction reported that the purpose of the instructional flight was to practice various flight maneuvers, which were successfully performed. About halfway back to the departure airport, the pilot noticed the engine was “running rough.' The pilot proceeded to lean the airplane's fuel mixture to correct the problem and noticed that the fuel flow gauge was “pegged.' The pilot continued to lean the mixture and adjusted the throttle, but no response was received from his inputs. The airplane began to lose altitude, and the pilot receiving instruction performed a forced landing to a flat muddy field. During the landing rollout, the nosewheel turned left in the mud, the airplane spun around, both wings and the propeller impacted the ground, and the airplane came to rest upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings.
The flight instructor, who was also a mechanic, reported that, when the engine was running roughly, he tried to lean the mixture with no response. The flight instructor also reported that the fuel flow gauge needle had advanced into the manifold pressure side of the gauge and that the throttle had no response. The flight instructor assumed that the fuel control unit had a mechanical issue.
Postaccident examination of the airplane found no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Testing of the fuel injection system found internal damage to the fuel control valve. The internal damage was likely consistent with fuel injection system contamination.
In addition, the interior of the fuel pump had a dark deposit that was firmly adhered to the surface and could not be removed. When viewed under magnification, the deposit was found to be consistent with corrosion of the surface material. Thus, corrosion was likely present in the contamination.
The engine manufacturer's guidance stated that fuel injection system contamination may lead to “component damage, erratic engine operation, loss of power, or engine shutdown.' Although the source of the contamination could not be determined based on the available evidence, the contamination likely caused the fuel control system to fail, which led to the total loss of engine power during the accident flight.
Probable Cause: A total loss of engine power due to fuel injection system contamination from an unknown source.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN22LA128
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=5042K
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Feb-2022 22:09 | Geno | Added |
| 22-Feb-2022 02:16 | johnwg | Updated [Operator, Phase, Nature] |
| 22-Feb-2022 03:05 | RobertMB | Updated [Registration, Cn, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 22-Feb-2022 03:20 | RobertMB | Updated [Date] |
| 22-Feb-2022 15:15 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Source] |
| 22-Feb-2022 15:16 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative] |
| 22-Feb-2022 19:14 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 23-Feb-2022 09:57 | RobertMB | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Jun-2023 06:33 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [[Source, Narrative]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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