ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 305857
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: | Saturday 14 January 2023 |
| Time: | 14:25 |
| Type: |  Pitts Model 12 |
| Owner/operator: | M12 Aviation LLC |
| Registration: | N512P |
| MSN: | 291 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2013 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport (CXO/KCXO), Conroe, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport, TX (CXO/KCXO) |
| Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport, TX (CXO/KCXO) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On January 14, 2023, about 1425 central standard time, a Pitts Model 12 airplane, N512P, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Conroe, Texas. The pilot sustained minor injuries and the passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot and passenger were conducting a local flight to practice maneuvers and landings. About 3 to 4 minutes after takeoff, and 2,000 ft above ground level, the pilot noticed a master warning light on instrument panel but did not notice any anomalies or problems. The pilot elected to return to the airport, and about 1 minute later the engine sustained a series of power loss fluctuations. The pilot attempted to troubleshoot the problem but was unsuccessful and the engine lost total power. Unable to reach the airport or a field due to a high descent rate, the pilot performed a forced landing to a nearby roadway. During the landing, the airplane impacted a powerline and terrain before coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage.
Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed non-ferrous metallic debris throughout the entire fuel system; the source of the debris was unable to be determined. Due to a leak noted during a functional test, the engine-driven fuel pump was disassembled. Scratches and scoring marks were noted on the pressure relief valve seat, which allowed fuel into the air side cavity of the fuel pump. It is likely the fuel pump air cavity filled with fuel, which equalized the pump pressure and restricted fuel flow to the engine. The restricted fuel flow resulted in a total loss of engine power.
Probable Cause: The failure of the engine-driven fuel pump, which resulted in a total loss of engine power. Contributing to the failure of the fuel pump was an unknown non-ferrous metallic debris that was noted throughout the airplane’s fuel system.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://abc13.com/conroe-plane-crash-pilot-injured-faa-investigation-one-passenger/12702656/
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=106584
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=512P
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N512P
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a66a22&lat=30.379&lon=-95.533&zoom=15.0&showTrace=2023-01-14
http://www.2wings.com/m12/images/sn291/images1/images1.htm (photos)
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 29-Mar-2024 22:23 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Phase, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report, Photo] |
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