ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 38490
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| Date: | Friday 2 September 1994 |
| Time: | 18:05 LT |
| Type: |  Bellanca 8KCAB Decathlon |
| Owner/operator: | Paul Brenner |
| Registration: | N8670V |
| MSN: | 177-75 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 601 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming AEIO-320-E1B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Chatsworth, NJ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | |
| Mount Holly, NJ (7MY | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN HANGARED FOR SEVERAL WEEKS UNUSED. ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT THE PILOT FLEW THE AIRPLANE FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES AND REHANGARED IT. THE AIRPLANE REMAINED IN THE HANGAR FOR THE NEXT WEEK. THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT THE PILOT WASHED THE AIRPLANE AND REHANGARED IT. THAT AFTERNOON THE PILOT REMOVED THE AIRPLANE FROM THE HANGAR AND DEPARTED THE PRIVATE AIRSTRIP. PERSONNEL AT THE AIRSTRIP COULD NOT CONFIRM IF A PREFLIGHT WAS ACCOMPLISHED OR FUEL SAMPLES WERE TAKEN. SEVERAL WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE PERFORM INSIDE LOOPS OVER THE PRIVATE AIRSTRIP, RECOVERING AT TREE TOP LEVEL. WHEN THE AIRPLANE REACHED INVERTED FLIGHT DURING THE THIRD LOOP, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE DROPPED. THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED, IMPACTED THE GROUND, AND WAS CONSUMED BY A POST CRASH FIRE. EXAMINATION REVEALED THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS INTACT FROM THE HEADER TANK TO THE INJECTOR NOZZLES. WATER WAS FOUND THROUGH OUT THE FUEL SYSTEM. NO OTHER ANOMALIES WERE NOTED IN THE ENGINE OR AIRFRAME.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadequate preflight that failed to detect water- contaminated fuel which resulted in the loss of engine power and the pilot's decision to conduct flight at an altitude too low to initiate emergency procedures.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB NYC94FA165
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 09-Apr-2024 19:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Cn, Other fatalities, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
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