ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 355935
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| Date: | Saturday 3 May 1997 |
| Time: | 10:03 LT |
| Type: |  Rutan Long-EZ |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N86RG |
| MSN: | 1975-L |
| Total airframe hrs: | 906 hours |
| Engine model: | Mazda 13B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Roanoke, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | (52F) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Approximately 100 feet AGL, after retracting the landing gear, the pilot noticed the fuel pressure was zero. About two to three seconds later the engine lost power, and he reduced the throttle in an attempt to regain fuel pressure. He maintained a 'nose high attitude for a continuous flare' so he wouldn't 'hit the ground' with a high airspeed. He then attempted to lower the landing gear; however, the aircraft landed hard before the landing gear was fully extended. The aircraft bounced across a road and fence, and came to a stop in a field. Examination of the gascolator revealed that it was one quarter full of a gray matter, which was identified by the pilot/builder as fiber glass. About 10 hours prior to the accident, the pilot made a modification to the main landing gear wheel wells. The aircraft has wet wing fuel tanks. The pilot flushed the fuel tanks three times; however, he 'did not shake the wings,' and he thinks that the fuel tank baffling retained some of the fiber glass material. He had not checked the gascolator since making the modification.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain the proper descent rate. A factor was the gascolator's filter screen becoming contaminated with fiber glass residue due to the pilot/mechanic's inadequate maintenance.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW97FA173
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Mar-2024 17:17 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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