Pilot Debrief

COMMANDER AIRCRAFT CO 114 near Reading, PA — 2015-08-01

Final reportERA15LA294
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Date
2015-08-01
Location
Reading, PA, USA
Airport
RDG
Aircraft
COMMANDER AIRCRAFT CO 114
Registration
N6566D
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The improper installation of the fuel supply line fitting at the fuel manifold, which resulted in the line loosening in-flight, fuel leakage, and a subsequent total loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

According to the airline transport pilot, about 30 minutes into the personal flight and while the airplane was at 3,000 ft mean sea level, the engine "seemed to lose power for a second." About 1 second later, the engine "shut off completely." The pilot tried to restart the engine by turning on the electric fuel boost pump and then moving the fuel selector to each of the positions without success. He then moved the fuel selector back to the "both tanks" position and set the nose pitch for best glide speed; however, the airplane was unable to glide to the airport, so the pilot set it up for an off-field landing. During the forced landing, the airplane encountered uneven terrain, and the right wing struck a tree. A postaccident engine test run was conducted, and the engine would not start. Subsequent examination of the engine revealed that a fuel supply line fitting at the fuel manifold was loose and that fuel leaked excessively from the fitting when the electric boost pump was turned on. After the fitting was tightened, the engine started without hesitation and ran continuously at idle power. Due to three bent propeller blades and vibration, a higher power setting was not attempted. A review of the airplane and engine logbooks found no entries indicating that any recent maintenance had been conducted on the fuel system.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel system integrity before flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents5

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