20020227003159I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna U206G · Ruston, LA · February 27, 2002

Date: February 27, 2002 · 14:15 local
Place: Ruston, LA
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N5354U
Reported as: Cessna U206G
Reported engine: Continental IO520*
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 21,000 total12,000 in this make and model270 in the last 90 days

N5354URegistration cancelled Apr 9, 2013 · Cessna U206GS/N U20605235 · Built 1979 Airframe modelCessna U206G Engine modelContinental IO-520-FReciprocating

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) The pilot was on pipeline patrol when the engine failed. The pilot switched fuel tanks and turned the boost pump on, but the engine failed to continue to run. The pilot initiated an emergency landing on the right-of-way. The aircraft sustained minor damage. The pilot was not injured. A maintenance investigation of the fuel selector valve revealed that the linkage to the selector was inoperative. The linkage to the valve was broken not allowing the pilot to select a fuel supply in the opposite wing tank. The right wing fuel tank was empty, the left wing fuel tank was full. The left fuel gauge showed full tank. The right fuel gauge showed empty, a visual inspection verified the gauge readings.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT WAS ON PIPELINE PATROL WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. THE PILOT SWITCHED FUEL TANKS AND TURNED THE BOOST PUMP ON, BUT THE ENGINE FAILED TO CONTINUE TO RUN. THE PILOT INITIATED AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON THE RIGHT-OF-WAY. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED. A MAINTENANCE INVESTIGATION OF THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE REVEALED THAT THE LINKAGE TO THE SELECTOR WAS INOPERATIVE. THE LINKAGE TO THE VALVE WAS BROKEN NOT ALLOWING THE PILOT TO SELECT A FUEL SUPPLY IN THE OPPOSITE WING TANK. THE RIGHT WING FUEL TANK WAS EMPTY, THE LEFT WING FUEL TANK WAS FULL. THE LEFT FUEL GAUGE SHOWED FULL TANK. THE RIGHT FUEL GAUGE SHOWED EMPTY, A VISUAL INSPECTION VERIFIED THE GAUGE READINGS.