Pilot Debrief

FOUGA CM 170R MAGISTER near Lake Havasu City, AZ — 2014-12-06

Final reportWPR15LA055
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Date
2014-12-06
Location
Lake Havasu City, AZ, USA
Aircraft
FOUGA CM 170R MAGISTER
Registration
N300FM
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power to both engines during descent due to fuel starvation as a result of an interruption of the fuel flow, which resulted in a forced landing to a short strip and a subsequent overrun.

NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot/owner was conducting a cross-country personal flight in the experimental airplane and stopped at an intermediate airport for fuel. While descending to the destination airport, both engines flamed out. The pilot estimated that the airplane should have had about 1.5 hours of fuel remaining when the engine flameouts occurred. The pilot determined that the airplane would not be able to glide to the airport, so he attempted to land it on a short asphalt strip. The airplane touched down firmly with about 1,000 ft remaining. The pilot was unable to stop the airplane on the asphalt, and it continued about 200 ft off the end into rough terrain. The cockpit remained intact, but the rest of the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane had a submerged boost pump in the rear fuselage tank that supplied fuel to both engines through a filter and a nonreturn valve. The main fuel filter had a bypass pin inside the bowl, which moved up and down when the filter was partially blocked and forced the bypass poppet valve to move up. The pilot and his mechanic examined the airplane after the accident and observed that the poppet valve was in the full-up position. The mechanic suggested that this indicated that there was a blockage in the fuel system; however, due to the damage, he and the pilot did not attempt to find the blockage site. Based on the available evidence, both engines likely lost power due to fuel starvation as a result of an interruption of the fuel flow.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel system before departure to prevent engine flameout.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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