Pilot Debrief

REILLY CHARLES W ESCAPADE near Palatka, FL — 2018-03-06

Final reportERA18LA097
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Date
2018-03-06
Location
Palatka, FL, USA
Airport
28J
Aircraft
REILLY CHARLES W ESCAPADE
Registration
N45DC
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The interruption of fuel to the engine during final approach, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, and the pilot's subsequent failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that, while on a 1-mile final approach for landing, about 400 ft above the ground, the engine lost total power. The pilot applied full throttle and enrichened the mixture, but only a momentary return of power occurred before the engine lost power again. The airspeed decreased and the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall and impacted a house and terrain. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures. The left wing fuel tank was empty, the right wing tank contained about 4 gallons of fuel, and the auxiliary tank contained just enough fuel to cover the bottom of the tank; however, there was evidence of fuel spillage at the site and the amount of fuel onboard before the accident could not be determined. Non-volatile memory data recorded during the accident flight revealed a large spike in fuel flow, followed by a 0 rpm reading, which was indicative of a total loss of engine power due to air passing through the fuel line and transducer rather than fuel. It is likely that the fuel flow to the engine was interrupted, but a postaccident examination of the engine and fuel system could not determine what caused the interruption.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel levels before approach to ensure adequate fuel.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents9

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