Pilot Debrief

MONTANA Coyote near Jamul, CA — 2020-07-23

Final reportWPR20LA234
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Date
2020-07-23
Location
Jamul, CA, USA
Aircraft
MONTANA Coyote
Registration
N125MC
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power due to an obstructed fuel line and fuel starvation, which resulted in a forced landing and collision with a fence. Contributing to the accident was the long duration of aircraft storage that allowed for contaminants to develop and the design of the fuel system that did not include filtration.

NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger flew a local flight, landed, and refueled the airplane. After refueling, they departed and, shortly into the airplane’s climb, encountered various fluctuations in power before the engine lost all power. During the subsequent forced landing, the airplane impacted a fence, which resulted in a collapse of the left main landing gear and substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed an obstruction in the fuel line from the airplane’s header tank to the engine. At the time of disassembly, the fitting was completely obstructed with brown/red deposits derived from old/evaporated fuel. The fuel type was not determined. The fuel tanks were not equipped with fuel screens and the header tank did not contain any filter or fuel sump to collect these remnants. This evidence suggests that dried fuel in the wing tanks likely formed the blockage in the fuel fitting when the airplane was operated following 14 years of inactivity, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Inspection of fuel system for blockages during annual inspection could have prevented failure.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents8

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