Pilot Debrief

FISHER Lancair near Azle, TX — 2011-06-12

Final reportCEN11LA384
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Date
2011-06-12
Location
Azle, TX, USA
Aircraft
FISHER Lancair
Registration
N6ZY
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadequate in-flight fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

NTSB narrative

The pilot departed for a local test flight in a newly completed kit airplane. The pilot reported that, about an hour after departure, the engine gave a “slight hiccup,” so he turned back to his departure airfield. When the engine began to lose power, he turned on both wing fuel tank transfer pumps. The engine subsequently lost power, so he elected to conduct a gear-up forced landing in a field. A postaccident examination of the airplane’s fuel tanks revealed that they were not ruptured in the accident. Further examination revealed that the left wing and header tanks were empty while the right wing tank was full of fuel.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel levels before flight to prevent power loss.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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