19951105040979I

Incident

FAA incident report · Amtr RV 4 · Arlington, WA · November 5, 1995

Date: November 5, 1995 · 13:15 local
Place: Arlington, WA
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft: N34DV
Reported as: Amtr RV4
Reported engine: Lycoming O320A3A
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 260 total27 in this make and model25 in the last 90 days

N34DVRegistered now · Vaughan Don K RV 4S/N 1619 · Built 1988 Airframe modelVaughan Don K RV 4 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: the private pilot preflighted his newly purchased aircraft and by visual inspection of the fuel level in relation to the first stringer, determined his fuel to be about 20 gallons. The pilot was relying on other RV-4 owners for this estimate, no fueling tests had been conducted by this pilot. The pilot reported that he left the carb heat on due to the outside air temperature being 42 degrees. While returning to the departure airport the engine quit, which the pilot felt was due to carb. Ice. After the officer on scene contacted the inspector on duty, the amount of fuel on board was checked. Fuel did flow from the drains but it was not possible to determine quantity due to uneven terrain. The pilot reported that 3/4 of a gallon was drained when the wings were removed. Subsequent fueling tests of the aircraft showed that this aircraft has much smaller tanks than the RV-4S owned by the pilots friends.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THE PRIVATE PILOT PREFLIGHTED HIS NEWLY PURCHASED AIRCRAFT AND BY VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE FUEL LEVEL IN RELATION TO THE FIRST STRINGER, DETERMINED HIS FUEL TO BE ABOUT 20 GALLONS. THE PILOT WAS RELYING ON OTHER RV-4 OWNERS FOR THIS ESTIMATE, NO FUELING TESTS HAD BEEN CONDUCTED BY THIS PILOT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE LEFT THE CARB HEAT ON DUE TO THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE BEING 42 DEGREES. WHILE RETURNING TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT THE ENGINE QUIT, WHICH THE PILOT FELT WAS DUE TO CARB. ICE. AFTER THE OFFICER ON SCENE CONTACTED THE INSPECTOR ON DUTY, THE AMOUNT OF FUEL ON BOARD WAS CHECKED. FUEL DID FLOW FROM THE DRAINS BUT IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO DETERMINE QUANTITY DUE TO UNEVEN TERRAIN. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT 3/4 OF A GALLON WAS DRAINED WHEN THE WINGS WERE REMOVED. SUBSEQUENT FUELING TESTS OF THE AIRCRAFT SHOWED THAT THIS AIRCRAFT HAS MUCH SMALLER TANKS THAN THE RV-4S OWNED BY THE PILOTS FRIENDS.