Summary
On May 01, 2009, a Rans S-7 (N4272M) was involved in an incident near Atomic City, ID. 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 the pilot's inadequate fuel management.
The pilot/owner and a pilot rated passenger flew to a local airport for a brief stop, and then continued to another nearby airport where the passenger did a touch-and-go. He had begun a slight right turn during the climb out from the touch-and-go when the engine lost power about 250 feet above ground level (agl). The owner took control, turned back to the left, and tried to land on the end of the runway. He leveled off slightly about 20 feet agl, and then flared for landing. The airplane landed hard on the north side of the runway, and the right wheel broke off. The landing gear dug into the turf; the airplane spun 180 degrees, and the right main landing gear collapsed. The airframe around the tail wheel and rudder sustained substantial damage.
This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR09CA225. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N4272M.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot's inadequate fuel management.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The pilot/owner and a pilot rated passenger flew to a local airport for a brief stop, and then continued to another nearby airport where the passenger did a touch-and-go. He had begun a slight right turn during the climb out from the touch-and-go when the engine lost power about 250 feet above ground level (agl). The owner took control, turned back to the left, and tried to land on the end of the runway. He leveled off slightly about 20 feet agl, and then flared for landing. The airplane landed hard on the north side of the runway, and the right wheel broke off. The landing gear dug into the turf; the airplane spun 180 degrees, and the right main landing gear collapsed. The airframe around the tail wheel and rudder sustained substantial damage. The owner indicated that the airplane had a header tank that was the only fuel supply for the engine in addition to the wing tanks that were used to supply the header tank. He used an electric fuel pump to manually transfer fuel from the wing tanks to the header tank. He stated that he usually doesn't let the header tank get less than half full since the fuel pick-up port for the engine driven pump is at the front of the tank. He said that he probably let the fuel level get too low on this flight. During the climb out with the nose up, he surmised that the header tank fuel pick-up unported, resulting in the loss of power.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# WPR09CA225