Pilot Debrief

TAYLORCRAFT BC12-D1 near Pittsboro, NC — 2022-06-03

Final reportERA22LA258
Sign in to save
Date
2022-06-03
Location
Pittsboro, NC, USA
Aircraft
TAYLORCRAFT BC12-D1
Registration
N44374
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The student pilot, and flight instructor’s, inadequate preflight inspection, during which they failed to detect water contamination in the fuel system, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

The student pilot, and his flight instructor, were on a local training flight practicing maneuvers. Shortly after the student transferred fuel from the wing tanks to the main fuel tank, the engine lost all power. Unable to restart the engine, they performed a forced landing to a wheat field. During the landing, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. Examination of the airplane revealed water and corrosion present in the fuel gascolator. The night before the accident the airplane was parked outside, and it had rained. The student pilot reported that as part of his preflight, he drained the sump at the bottom of the engine but did not drain the wing fuel sumps. The flight instructor reported that he was not familiar with the airplane and the location of the fuel sumps.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Draining fuel sumps in wing tanks during preflight could have prevented fuel contamination.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents4

Related mishaps