ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 74346
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| Date: | Sunday 12 December 1999 |
| Time: | 16:30 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-22-108 |
| Owner/operator: | James S. Elder |
| Registration: | N5279Z |
| MSN: | 22-8974 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1961 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Wales Airport, Wales, ME -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | (ME6) |
| Turner, ME (3B5) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During the initial climb after takeoff, the airplane's engine sputtered, and then lost total power. The pilot initiated a right turn and performed a forced landing to a field. After the accident, 5 gallons of fuel was drained from the left fuel tank, and 7 gallons of fuel was drained from the right fuel tank. Examination of the airplane's fuel system revealed a total blockage in the left fuel tank's aft feed line in the vicinity a bend near the fuel tank connection. According to the FAA Inspector's report, '...the bend in the line was clogged with what appeared to be hard packed sand....' There were no other pre-impact discrepancies noted. The pilot said he had selected the left fuel tank for the takeoff, as per the Airplane's Operating Handbook. Additionally, the pilot stated that the airplane had been flown for about 15 to 20 hours since it's most recent annual inspection, which was performed about 2 months before the accident. For about 6 weeks prior to the annual inspection, the airplane was parked in a 'T-Hangar' with both wings removed.
Probable Cause: Fuel exhaustion due to a blocked fuel feed line.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB NYC00LA051
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-May-2010 11:07 | JINX | Added |
| 01-Jul-2013 16:03 | JINX | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 14-Dec-2017 10:01 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Apr-2024 16:17 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
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