ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 295494
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| Date: | Sunday 20 July 2003 |
| Time: | 11:45 LT |
| Type: |  Maule M-4 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N40344 |
| MSN: | 2120C |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1742 hours |
| Engine model: | FRANKLIN GA-350-C1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | KOBUK, Alaska -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Dahl Creek Airport, AK (DCK) |
| Fairbanks International Airport, AK (FAI/PAFA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Prior to departure on the accident flight, the private certificated pilot fueled the airplane with 14 gallons of fuel from a 55 gallon drum that he stored at his cabin. He conducted a preflight of the airplane, which included draining the airplane's fuel sumps, and found no water in the sumps. After liftoff, the engine power began to decrease slowly. The pilot said the engine did not have any roughness or unusual sounds, but the rpm decreased to about 2,200 and the airplane began to lose altitude. About 200 feet above the ground, the pilot began to turn to the north in an effort to return to the runway, but the airspeed was decreasing. The airplane collided with numerous trees and sustained damage to the wings, lift struts, elevator, and the right main landing gear. Following the accident, the pilot examined the fuel from the airplane. He said he discovered that the fuel he placed in the airplane before departure was diesel fuel. He reported that his storage drum was mislabeled.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadvertent use of diesel fuel in a gasoline engine which resulted in a partial loss of engine power, and subsequent collision with trees during a forced landing after takeoff. A factor contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the airplane that failed to detect the presence of diesel fuel in the fuel supply.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ANC03LA083
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Oct-2022 09:09 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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