ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 290856
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| Date: | 15-AUG-2015 |
| Time: | 18:20 LT |
| Type: | Quicksilver MXL II Sport |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | UNREG |
| MSN: | None |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Pittsboro, North Carolina -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Pittsboro, NC (1NC1) |
| Pittsboro, NC (1NC1) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
According to the pilot, after takeoff during the climb at approximately 150 feet above ground level, the engine in the unregistered, two seat airplane lost power and the airplane's handling became "mushy." His passenger began to panic, and he found it hard to concentrate and figure out what was happening. The airplane began to lose altitude and he began maneuvering to find a field he could land in. He then noticed that there was a power line in front of him. He was able to clear the power line, but the airplane struck the top of a tree and was substantially damaged. The pilot advised that while maneuvering to land, that when he turned the airplane slightly to the right, the airplane "wanted to fly," and if lowered the nose of the airplane to maintain airspeed, the power seemed to increase slightly. Examination of the wreckage revealed that even though the fuel tank was 1/2 full, the fuel shutoff valve was in the "OFF" (closed) position. The horizontally mounted fuel filter which was located downstream of the closed shutoff valve was only 1/3 full and did not have enough fuel to reach the inlet or outlet ports on the filter. The fuel line to the carburetor was devoid of fuel, and the carburetor float bowl contained less than a teaspoon.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to open the fuel shutoff valve during the preflight examination of the airplane which resulted in a total loss of engine power during initial climb after takeoff due to fuel starvation.
Sources:
NTSB ERA15CA321
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 15 May 1983 | Unreg. | San Diego Ultralight Park | 0 | Lakeside, CA | |
w/o |
| 5 Nov 1983 | unreg. | private | 1 | Elwin, IL | |
w/o |
| 29 Nov 1993 | unreg. | private | 1 | Newark, TX | |
sub |
| 7 May 2011 | UNREG | Todd Alan Tollefson | 0 | Crookston, Minnesota | |
sub |
| Loss of control. | ||||||
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Oct-2022 06:31 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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