Pilot Debrief

PHELPS KITFOX III near Oshkosh, WI — 2013-07-28

Final reportCEN13FA440
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Date
2013-07-28
Location
Oshkosh, WI, USA
Airport
OSH
Aircraft
PHELPS KITFOX III
Registration
N873RX
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The degraded fuel line, which prevented fuel from the left tank from reaching the header tank and resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

NTSB narrative

The airplane was about 1,000 feet above ground level when the engine experienced a loss of power. The pilot was able to momentarily regain engine power twice before the engine lost total power. The pilot performed a forced landing in a field. The airplane's nose impacted terrain, which pushed the engine rearward and buckled the structure under the forward cockpit area. A postaccident examination revealed that the left wing fuel tank was nearly full, and the fuel line connecting the left wing fuel tank to the header tank had softened at the installation bend, which allowed the fuel line to kink and shut off the fuel supply from the left wing tank. The right wing and header fuel tanks were empty, and the fuel line from the right tank was intact and functioned normally. The fuel system on newer models of the accident airplane have been modified to include a 90-degree elbow fitting, which prevents the tight bend in the fuel line from the wing tanks to the header tank.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel line integrity before flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

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