Pilot Debrief

CESSNA U206F near Islesboro, ME — 2009-06-15

Final reportERA09LA352
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Date
2009-06-15
Location
Islesboro, ME, USA
Airport
57B
Aircraft
CESSNA U206F
Registration
N33243
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

A loss of engine power due to fuel contamination.

NTSB narrative

During preflight, the pilot sumped the fuel tanks and noticed water in the samples. He continued to sump the tanks until the fuel samples were absent of water. The accident flight was the fourth flight of the day and the airplane accrued 50 minutes of flight time during the 3 previous flights. On the accident flight, engine start, taxi, and takeoff were "normal" until 200 to 300 feet above the ground when "the power started slowly coming off". The pilot rejected an open field to his left for landing due to lack of altitude/glide distance, and chose to land straight ahead in heavily wooded terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. After recovery of the airplane, the engine started immediately using the airplane’s battery power, and ran continuously utilizing the airplane’s own fuel system. Fuel drained from the right header tank contained water and a mass that resembled a snail (land mollusk). The mass subsequently dissolved in the sample jar, but the remains were suspended in the water at the bottom of the jar. Fuel sample test results revealed that the fuel sample contained "plasticizers," which are present in many greases, and the bottom of the sample jar contained droplets of water, and a "black particulate" matter that contained both the plasticizers and methyl cellulose, which is a material commonly used in filters.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have rejected takeoff due to water in fuel detected during preflight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents8

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