Pilot Debrief

BELCHER, GERALD C BEL AIRE 2000 near Tyre, NY — 2012-05-20

Final reportERA12LA349
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Date
2012-05-20
Location
Tyre, NY, USA
Aircraft
BELCHER, GERALD C BEL AIRE 2000
Registration
N122BA
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

A partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined during the postaccident investigation.

NTSB narrative

During the preflight inspection of the experimental amateur-built airplane, which had not been flown for nearly 1 year, the pilot drained the existing automotive fuel from the tank and replaced it with fresh fuel. After noting no anomalies during a ground run of the automotive-type engine, the pilot departed and circled above the departure field for several minutes to confirm that the engine would continue to perform normally before he departed the area. Several minutes later, the engine began to "hesitate," and, in response, the pilot "pumped" the throttle, which seemed to keep the engine partially running but with insufficient power to keep the airplane airborne. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a farm field, during which the airplane incurred substantial damage to both lower wings. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical failures of the engine; however, a sample of fuel taken from the airplane’s fuel tank contained an unidentified particulate contaminant; however, it could not be determined whether this affected the engine performance. No other anomalies of the fuel system were noted.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen to conduct more thorough preflight checks on fuel quality.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents4

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