Pilot Debrief

FAIRCHILD FUNK M62C F 23A near Columbia, TN — 2018-03-23

Final reportERA18LA113
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Date
2018-03-23
Location
Columbia, TN, USA
Aircraft
FAIRCHILD FUNK M62C F 23A
Registration
N1131Z
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

The pilot's inadvertent selection of the fuel selector handle to the off position, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that he departed for the cross-country flight with a full load of fuel. During cruise flight, he attempted to balance the fuel load by turning the fuel selector from the left tank to the right tank; shortly thereafter, the engine lost total power. The pilot attempted to troubleshoot the problem and restart the engine but was unsuccessful. The pilot performed a forced landing to a soft field; during the landing, the airplane settled into the mud, which resulted in separation of the landing gear and substantial damage to the wing spar. Postaccident examination revealed that the left fuel tank was ruptured and contained no fuel, while the right fuel tank contained about 16 gallons of fuel. Additional examination of the fuel system did not reveal any evidence of preimpact malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. During a postaccident interview, the pilot stated that he routinely flew an airplane of a similar model with a different fuel selector configuration than the accident airplane. The pilot stated that when changing fuel tanks, he may have inadvertently positioned the fuel selector to an incorrect position. Because the engine failure occurred immediately after the pilot changed the fuel selector position, it is likely that the pilot inadvertently turned the fuel selector to the off position, which starved the engine of fuel and resulted in the total loss of engine power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have verified fuel selector position before switching tanks.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents7

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