ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 284602
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| Date: | Friday 13 July 2007 |
| Time: | 19:45 LT |
| Type: | Sopwith F1 |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | N6338 |
| MSN: | FM-05 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3 hours |
| Engine model: | Gnome 9N |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Greenville, Pennsylvania -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Greenville, PA (4G1) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The amateur-built replica airplane was in the initial test flight stage and had only 3 hours total time. The pilot was returning to the airport with only 1/4 tank of fuel to attempt a landing. During the approach, he applied full power to perform a go-around, but the engine did not respond. He pumped the manual fuel pressure handle a few times, and the engine regained power, but then lost all power. The airplane then collided with terrain in a corn field. The pilot said he designed the fuel system to replicate the original, but only had limited historical documentation to work from. The system utilized both an engine driven fuel pump, and a separate wing strut mounted propeller driven air pump that pressurizes the fuel tank to maintain fuel pressure for the engine. On previous flights the fuel tank was full or nearly so during the landings. The pilot surmised that on the day of the accident, the 1/4 tank of fuel onboard did not provide the head pressure that existed on previous flights. He also stated that the system fuel pressure should have been increased by adjusting the strut mounted relief valve on the air pump.
Probable Cause: a fuel starvation induced loss of engine power due to inadequate fuel system pressure. A factor in the accident was the pilot/builder's failure to adequately adjust the fuel system pressure.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX07LA220
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Sep-2022 19:13 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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