Pilot Debrief

Zenith CH601 near Carlisle, PA — 2019-07-13

Final reportERA19LA224
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Date
2019-07-13
Location
Carlisle, PA, USA
Airport
N94
Aircraft
Zenith CH601
Registration
N601MR
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

Water contamination of the fuel system, which resulted in a total loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which failed to remove all the water from the airplane's fuel system.

NTSB narrative

The pilot noted water in the fuel tanks while performing a preflight inspection and sampled the fuel until it appeared clear of contamination. He refueled the airplane, performed an engine run-up, and took off. During the initial climb, the airplane reached about 200 ft above ground level before the engine lost total power; the pilot landed on the remaining runway. The airplane overran the departure end of the runway and impacted a ditch, which resulted in substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane's fuel system revealed that it was contaminated with water throughout. Testing of the airport fuel tank revealed no evidence of contamination, and no other airplanes fueled around the time of the accident airplane reported contamination. It is likely that some water remained in the airplane's fuel system after the preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of power in flight when the contaminated fuel reached the engine.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Properly draining fuel sumps before flight could have prevented water contamination.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents8

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