ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 168618
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Sunday 10 August 2014 |
| Time: | 17:30 |
| Type: |  Christen Eagle 540 |
| Owner/operator: | Billy Werth Airshows, LLC |
| Registration: | N34BJ |
| MSN: | BJ-1 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2007 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 175 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming AIO-540-C4B5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Route 35, Standish, Maine -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Frenchville, ME (FVE) |
| Sanford, ME (SFM) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that he departed on a cross-country flight in the experimental, amateur-built airplane with each fuel tank (one main fuel tank, one fuselage auxiliary fuel tank, and one upper wing fuel tank) filled to capacity, for a total of 51 gallons of fuel onboard. About 1 hour 50 minutes into the flight, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot’s efforts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, so he maneuvered the airplane toward a road. During the landing, the pilot could not maintain the appropriate airspeed for a power-off landing, and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and bottom wing. An examination of the accident site revealed that the fuel tanks had not been breached, and no visible signs of fuel and no fuel odor were observed.
The fuel system was designed to plumb fuel from the upper wing tank directly into the main fuel tank through a drain valve; the engine was receiving fuel from the main fuel tank at the time of the engine power loss. During postaccident examination, both the main and the auxiliary fuselage fuel tanks were found void of fuel; the upper wing fuel tank was found almost full. The pilot reported that, at times, the upper wing fuel tank would drain slowly or not at all into the main fuel tank; however, postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that could have precluded normal operation. According to performance data provided by the pilot, the main fuel tank should have had about 7 gallons of fuel remaining at the time of the loss of power without any supplemental fuel from the upper wing tank. The reason for the main fuel tank being devoid of fuel could not be determined.
Probable Cause: The total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=34BJ
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 9 June 2012 | N34BJ | Billy Werth Airshows, LLC | 0 | Kokomo Municipal Airport - KOKK, Kokomo, IN | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 11-Aug-2014 04:49 | Geno | Added |
| 11-Aug-2014 04:51 | Geno | Updated [Operator, Location] |
| 12-Aug-2014 06:05 | Alpine Flight | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 12-Aug-2014 07:46 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 30-Nov-2017 19:00 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation