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| Date: | Friday 30 August 2024 |
| Time: | 13:30 |
| Type: |  Luscombe 8A Master |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N71899 |
| MSN: | 3326 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1946 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Bend Municipal Airport (KBDN), Bend, OR -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport, ID (LWS/KLWS) |
| Bend Municipal Airport, OR (KBDN) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that he departed with full fuel tanks, which should have provided about 3.5 hours of endurance. While enroute, the pilot noted the fuel levels in the two fuel tanks were uneven and were draining faster than expected and that the left fuel gauge appeared lower than the right gauge. The pilot had difficulty monitoring the airplane’s fuel levels because he perceived the fuel gauges to be inaccurate and the needles were bouncing. As the airplane approached the destination airport at the conclusion of the 2.5 hour flight, the engine suffered a total loss of power. The pilot performed a forced landing in a field, during which the airplane impacted a fence and came to rest inverted. As a result, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage.
Postaccident photos revealed the lower cabin insulation was fuel soaked, and fuel staining was observed beneath the left fuel valve. The pilot reported that both fuel tanks were devoid of fuel after he impacted the ground. When fuel was fed into the airplane’s left fuel line after the accident, the left fuel valve began to leak from around the valve shaft.
Based on the available information it is likely that the airplane lost an unknown quantity of fuel due to a leak in the left fuel valve, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.
Probable Cause: A failure of the left fuel valve, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://ktvz.com/news/accidents-crashes/2024/08/30/pilot-escapes-serious-injury-when-small-plane-runs-out-of-fuel-crashes-upside-down-in-field-east-of-bend-airport/
https://www.mycentraloregon.com/2024/08/30/plane-crashes-near-bend-airport-pilot-uninjured/
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=195054
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?NNumberTxt=71899
https://airport-data.com/images/aircraft/001/338/001338160.jpg (photo in former c/s)
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 29 March 2020 | N71899 | Private | 0 | 24330 Snake River Rd, Asotin, WA | |
unk |
| Runway excursion | ||||||
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Aug-2024 01:16 | RobertMB | Added |
| 13-Sep-2024 17:12 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 17-Apr-2025 22:39 | Captain Adam | Updated [Phase, Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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