N451E

On November 16, 2020, about 0810 eastern standard time, a Republic RC-3, N451E, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Advance, North Carolina. The airline transport pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to a mechanic who performed a test flight the day before the accident, he “dipped” the fuel tanks and the airplane contained about 18 gallons of fuel. The pilot then departed on a 30- to 45-minute flight that evening. On the day of the accident, the pilot departed on an approximate 30-minute flight from his home airport with an intended destination of Twin Lakes Airport (8A7), Mocksville, North Carolina.

The pilot stated that the flight should have taken 20 minutes with a 9-knot tailwind, and he planned a fuel consumption of 13 gallons per hour; he estimated 4 to 5 gallons would have been required for the accident flight. He reported that the airplane had “+/-13 gallons” of fuel on board before departing on the accident flight, and the departure time was 0740. The pilot reported that takeoff, climb, and cruise were “normal.” During cruise, he noted that the cylinder head and exhaust gas temperatures were “high,” and he richened the fuel mixture to help decrease the temperatures. In addition, he stated that the “estimated tailwind was not there.”

About 4 miles from the destination, he pushed the mixture “in” for landing, and the engine “rolled back to approximately idle.” He attempted to restore engine power by adjusting the mixture without success and looked for a place to land. While on approach to the forced landing area, the engine began producing power again, and the pilot began a climb and turned toward the destination airport. About 1 mile from the airport, the engine lost total power, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a field.

According to the mechanic, the fuel consumption for the RC-3 can vary between 13.5 and 20 gallons of fuel per hour, depending on several factors, including the setting of the ground-adjustable propeller. He also reported that the fuel flow gauge in the accident airplane had not yet been calibrated, and as a result, the actual fuel consumption rate had not been determined, and he advised the pilot of this. The mechanic stated that he asked the pilot the night before and the morning of the accident if there was enough fuel in the airplane, to which the pilot stated, “it was fine.”

The airplane came to rest in a field less than 2 miles from the destination airport. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector responded to the accident site and examined the airplane. The examination revealed substantial damage to the wing spar. The propeller was rotated by hand and crankshaft continuity was confirmed. There was no fuel in the fuel tank and trace fuel in the fuel filter. The fuel tank remained intact and there was no evidence of fuel spillage at the accident site.

An engine run was performed at a salvage facility under the supervision of an FAA inspector. The main battery was connected, and 4.5 gallons of fuel was added to the fuel tank, after which the fuel gauge indicated ¼ full. The engine initially did not start; however, after additional attempts, it started and ran with no anomalies. During the engine run, the tachometer did not function; however, all other gauges operated normally. After the engine was shut down, the fuel gauge indicated less than ¼ tank. There were no anomalies noted that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane or engine.

Fuel calculations based on the information provided by the mechanic and pilot revealed that, if the airplane flew for 1 hour and 15 minutes, it would have burned between 16.25 gallons and 25 gallons of fuel, not accounting for the engine start, taxi, and run-up.