Pilot Debrief

BELL ANDY SKYRAIDER II near Limington, ME — 2023-11-16

Final reportERA24LA040
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Date
2023-11-16
Location
Limington, ME, USA
Airport
63B
Aircraft
BELL ANDY SKYRAIDER II
Registration
N90AB
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The failure of the fuel pump to adequately supply fuel to the engine due to significant corrosion.

NTSB narrative

After a short local flight in the experimental amateur-built airplane, the pilot landed, taxied back, and took off to practice landings. Shortly after takeoff, during the initial climb as he crossed the end of the runway at 300 ft above ground level, the engine suddenly lost power for several seconds, regained partial power, then stopped producing power again. The power continued to fluctuate but remained about 800 rpm below full power. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and continued to fly the runway heading to land in a field that was bordered by trees. The airplane continued to descend, and the pilot was unable to clear the treetops. The airplane impacted the trees, then impacted the terrain in a nose-down attitude, resulting in substantial damage to the wings. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed the carburetor was intact and there was no fuel discovered in the lines between the engine-driven fuel pump and the carburetor. Upon further examination, the engine-driven fuel pump contained a substantial amount of corrosion. Although the pilot stated he had turned on the auxiliary fuel pump, no fuel was found in the fuel lines leading into the carburetor. It is likely that the corrosion in the engine-driven fuel pump led to a sporadic ability to provide adequate fuel to the engine, resulting in a partial loss of power from fuel starvation.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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