Summary
On May 07, 2004, a Rocket Flyers LLC (N724TL) was involved in an incident near Tipton, CA. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of air migrating into the fuel control unit. The ultimate reason for the air entry into the fuel control unit was not determined.
On May 7, 2004, at 1320 Pacific daylight time, a Willis T/Rocket Flyers LLC, N724TL, collided with a tree during a forced landing that was precipitated by a loss of engine power 3 miles northeast of Tipton, California. The airline transport pilot/owner was operating the airplane the under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot and passenger were not injured, and the experimental category airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight plan had been filed.
This incident is documented in NTSB report LAX04LA204. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N724TL.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of air migrating into the fuel control unit. The ultimate reason for the air entry into the fuel control unit was not determined.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On May 7, 2004, at 1320 Pacific daylight time, a Willis T/Rocket Flyers LLC, N724TL, collided with a tree during a forced landing that was precipitated by a loss of engine power 3 miles northeast of Tipton, California. The airline transport pilot/owner was operating the airplane the under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot and passenger were not injured, and the experimental category airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight plan had been filed. The personal cross-country flight originated at Eloy, Arizona, about 1120 mountain standard time.
The pilot told the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that the airplane turboprop Diemech M601D engine lost power about 25 miles east of Tulare, California, their destination. About 1,000 feet above ground level (agl), the pilot selected an area to make a forced landing. He identified some power lines that were in the selected landing area so he diverted the airplane to a highway and landed gear up. To avoid a truck, the pilot veered the airplane off the highway and into rough terrain where the wing struck a tree.
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector supervised an airframe and engine examination. He determined that the airplane had fuel in its fuel tank when it landed. He found air in the engine's fuel control system. Maintenance technicians bled the fuel control and fuel pump. They then completed a test run of the engine without incident.
The pilot stated in the Pilot/Operator Accident Report that because air was found in the fuel control unit there was a possible design flaw in the way fuel is delivered from the fuel tank to the engine.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX04LA204