ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 296110
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| Date: | Tuesday 18 March 2003 |
| Time: | 09:20 LT |
| Type: | Panzl PAN |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | N11ZL |
| MSN: | ZL-1 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 400 hours |
| Engine model: | Franklin IO-350-CL |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Vernal, Utah -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Steamboat Springs Airport, CO (SBS/KSBS) |
| Vernal Airport, UT (VEL/KVEL) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
This was the pilot's first flight in the airplane. During the preflight, the previous owner "stuck" the fuel tanks and told the pilot that the main tank had an estimated 15 to 16 gallons of fuel, and the auxiliary tank (wing) was full. The pilot reported that he did not look into his fuel tanks. The previous owner said that he never flew with the fuel selector in the auxiliary position; by putting it in the both position, the auxiliary fuel flowed into the main tank and the engine continued to draw directly from the main tank. The pilot said that he flew on the main tank for approximately one hour and then turned the fuel selector to the auxiliary position (fuel flows directly from the auxiliary tank to the engine). Approximately 20 minutes later the engine quit. The pilot changed back to the main position on the fuel selector valve, but because his cruise altitude was approximately 1,500 feet AGL, he had little time to rectify the situation. During the subsequent forced landing, to an elevated highway, the pilot encounter high crosswinds and a downdraft resulting in the airplane impacting with high vertical forces. Post-accident examination revealed the auxiliary tank was empty and the main tank contained 3 to 4 gallons of fuel.
Probable Cause: the pilot's inadequate preflight preparation and his lack of familiarity with the airplane, which subsequently resulted in fuel starvation to the engine. Contributing factors were unfavorable wind conditions and the downdraft weather condition.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB DEN03LA051
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Oct-2022 16:42 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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