Pilot Debrief

Aeronca S7EC near Jasper, AL — 2019-06-21

Final reportERA19LA202
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Date
2019-06-21
Location
Jasper, AL, USA
Airport
JFX
Aircraft
Aeronca S7EC
Registration
N4349C
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power due to fuel contamination.

NTSB narrative

The pilot fueled the airplane to capacity by adding about 5 gallons of aviation fuel to the tank, which had previously been serviced with non-ethanol automotive gasoline. The pilot and passenger then departed on the 25-nautical-mile flight to their destination airport. On final approach for landing, the engine became unresponsive to throttle inputs and subsequently lost total power. The pilot performed a forced landing in a grass field about 600 ft short of the runway, during which the airplane impacted a ditch, resulting in substantial damage. Subsequent maintenance conducted by the pilot’s mechanic revealed that the carburetor bowl contained an unidentified “milky white” substance. Given the lack of other anomalies, it is likely that the fuel contamination resulted in the loss of engine power. The source of the contamination could not be determined based on the available information.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Using non-ethanol automotive gasoline instead of aviation fuel before the flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents5

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