# Accident 19971222042759A: Amtrea EAABIPLANEP2, West Palm Beach, FL, December 22, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 22, 1997, 17:45 local time
- Place: West Palm Beach, FL
- Airport: Wellington Aero Club Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 26.6498° N, 80.2498° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.6498&lon=-80.2498&mi=10
- Aircraft: N913AM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N913AM-1999-01-25) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Lutz Michael A EAA BIPLANE P-2 (registry code 3360327, https://openairdocs.org/model/lutz-michael-a-eaa-biplane-p-2) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTREA EAABIPLANEP2
- Reported engine: LYC O320E2A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 8,000 total, 5 in this make and model, 5 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL98LA029](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL98LA029) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971222042759A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ACCORDING TO A WITNESS THE AIRPLANE REACHED AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 200-300 FEET WHERE THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SPUTTER. ANOTHER WITNESS STATED THE AIRPLANE MADE A 180 DEGREE TURN BACK TOWARDS THE RUNWAY BEFORE IT SPUN INTO THE GROUND. ACCORDING TO ANOTHER PILOT, HE FLEW THE AIRPLANE FOR 35-40 MINUTES THE DAY BEFORE, AND THE ACCIDENT PILOT FLEW 35 MINUTES ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. THE OTHER PILOT STATED THE FRONT FUEL TANK HELD 14 1/2 GALLONS, AND THE FUEL CONSUMPTION WAS 8-9 GALLONS PER HOUR. THE FAA INSPECTOR STATED THAT THTE FUEL SELECTOR WAS SET TO THE FRONT FUEL TANK SETTING. THE FUEL LINES WERE CHECKED, AND NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE LINE FROM THE FRONT FUEL TANK TO THE ENGINE. THERE WAS FUEL IN THE LINE FROM THE REAR FUEL TANK TO THE ENGINE. THE AIRPLANE WAS PURCHASED BY THE PILOT ON DECEMBER 4,1997, AND A WITNESS STATED HE DID NOT BELIEVE THE PILOT WAS COMFORTABLE IN THE AIRPLANE.                                                                         (-23) DURING CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF, AT APPROXIMATELY 300 FT, AIRCRAFT LOST POWER. WITNESSES STATE A PUFF OF BLUE SMOKE WAS SEEN FROM AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO STALL AND SPIN. FUEL TANK AND CARBURETOR LOST ALL FUEL DUE TO IMPACT. AIRCRA FT HAD REGAINED POWER AT IMPACT. IGNITION WIRING APPEARS TO BE CHAPPPING AT MANY VARIOUS POINTS IN ENGINE. AIRCRAFT LOCATED AT WEST PALM BEACH FLORIDA, PALM BEACH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE/HANGAR.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ATL98LA029](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL98LA029), Dec 22, 1997: Lutz EAA Biplane P-2 (N913AM), Wellington, FL, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: failure of the pilot to ensure the fuel selector was properly positioned to a tank with adequate fuel before takeoff, which resulted in fuel starvation and loss of engine power; failure of the pilot…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.