20000224013499A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Namer NA-64 · Clearwater, FL · February 24, 2000

Date
February 24, 2000 · 18:24 local
Place
Clearwater, FL
Phase of flight
Final Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N64WP
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA00LA094
Reported as
Namer NA64
Reported engine
WRIGHT R97528
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,250 total11 in this make and model32 in the last 90 days

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.

(-23) See attached MIA00LA094 (.4)on February 24, 2000, at about 1824 eastern standard time, a north American NA-64, N64WP, registered to castle aircraft sales inc., operating as a 14 CFR part 91 personal flight crashed in the vicinity of Clearwater, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from brooksville, Florida, about 29 minutes before the accident. The pilot stated he called UNICOM and entered right downwind for runway 34 at Clearwater air park, Clearwater, Florida. Power was reduced, lowered flaps, moved the prop control partially forward, verified the right fuel tank was selected, and checked that the mixture was full rich. He turned base leg, and called uniocom stating his intentions. As he began the turn to final, he noticed that that the engine power was reducing. He scanned the instruments and turned the electric back up boost pump on. The fuel selector was switched from the right tank, to the left tank, and back again to the right tank. He realized he would be unable to make th e runway and initiated a forced landing to a street. The airplane collided with trees and a telephone pole. The airplane rotated to the right and came to a complete stop. Examination of the airplane was conducted by the FAA. The fuel supply line from the engine pump to the carburetor was found severely kinked. When the supply line was disconnected at the carburetor, no fuel was available. When the kink was removed, fuel came out of the line. The FAA concluded that fuel starvation was suspected, and the actual cause could not be determined. Tom reilly vintage aircraft, inc., looked at the aircraft on behalf of the insurance adjuster, and stated that the engine stopped as a result of fuel starvation.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) SEE ATTACHED MIA00LA094 (.4)ON FEBRUARY 24, 2000, AT ABOUT 1824 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A NORTH AMERICAN NA-64, N64WP, REGISTERED TO CASTLE AIRCRAFT SALES INC., OPERATING AS A 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT CRASHED IN THE VICINITY OF CLEARWATER, FLORIDA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT REPORTED NO INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM BROOKSVILLE, FLORIDA, ABOUT 29 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT STATED HE CALLED UNICOM AND ENTERED RIGHT DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 34 AT CLEARWATER AIR PARK, CLEARWATER, FLORIDA. POWER WAS REDUCED, LOWERED FLAPS, MOVED THE PROP CONTROL PARTIALLY FORWARD, VERIFIED THE RIGHT FUEL TANK WAS SELECTED, AND CHECKED THAT THE MIXTURE WAS FULL RICH. HE TURNED BASE LEG, AND CALLED UNIOCOM STATING HIS INTENTIONS. AS HE BEGAN THE TURN TO FINAL, HE NOTICED THAT THAT THE ENGINE POWER WAS REDUCING. HE SCANNED THE INSTRUMENTS AND TURNED THE ELECTRIC BACK UP BOOST PUMP ON. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS SWITCHED FROM THE RIGHT TANK, TO THE LEFT TANK, AND BACK AGAIN TO THE RIGHT TANK. HE REALIZED HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO MAKE TH E RUNWAY AND INITIATED A FORCED LANDING TO A STREET. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TREES AND A TELEPHONE POLE. THE AIRPLANE ROTATED TO THE RIGHT AND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE WAS CONDUCTED BY THE FAA. THE FUEL SUPPLY LINE FROM THE ENGINE PUMP TO THE CARBURETOR WAS FOUND SEVERELY KINKED. WHEN THE SUPPLY LINE WAS DISCONNECTED AT THE CARBURETOR, NO FUEL WAS AVAILABLE. WHEN THE KINK WAS REMOVED, FUEL CAME OUT OF THE LINE. THE FAA CONCLUDED THAT FUEL STARVATION WAS SUSPECTED, AND THE ACTUAL CAUSE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. TOM REILLY VINTAGE AIRCRAFT, INC., LOOKED AT THE AIRCRAFT ON BEHALF OF THE INSURANCE ADJUSTER, AND STATED THAT THE ENGINE STOPPED AS A RESULT OF FUEL STARVATION.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.