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20040508007919I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Amtr BREEZY · Acton, TX · May 8, 2004

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 8, 2004 · 15:15 local
Place
Acton, TX
Phase of flight
Forced Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N1913J
Reported as
Amtr Breezy
Reported engine
Lycoming O235*
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,200 total360 in this make and model1 in the last 90 days
N1913JRegistered now · Jordan Charles W BREEZYS/N 4JAirframe modelJordan Charles W BREEZYEngine modelLycoming 0-235 series4 cycle

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) Inspector's statement: my name is willis h. power; I'm employed as an aviation safety inspector at the fort worth flight standards district office. On may 10, 2004, I investigated an incident involving the operation of N1913J, a Breezy amateur built aircraft owned and operated by charles wayne jordan, private pilot certificate number 462388028. Mr. Jordan was on final approach to the nassau bay airport, a private airstrip located near Acton, Texas, when the engine lost power. Mr. Jordan stated he switched fuel tanks but was unable to regain power from the engine and elected to make an emergency landing on a road. The proximity of power lines to Mr. Jordan's chosen landing site required maneuvering the aircraft to the right. Initial ground contact was on the edge of a ditch running parallel to the road. The aircraft proceeded into the ditch, through some rocks, and came to rest in a wet creek. Mr. Jordan exited the aircraft without injury but the aircraft sustained damage to the landing gear, nose, electrical components from water in the creek, and left wing leading edge which struck a t-post next to the road. Inspection of the aircraft revealed the following: a small amount of sediment and water was drained from the right wing tank sump. Fuel from the left wing tank and collector tank was clear. An additional 1 gallon of fuel was drained with no indication of contamination. The engine was started, initally running rough then smoothing out after a short period of time but the engine would quit when power was reduced to idle. The carburetor mixture adjustment was richened and the engine sustained idle power for an extended period of time following this adjustment. Magneto drop on the left magneto was approximately 100 RPM and approximately 200 RPM on the right magneto indicating a fouled plug or improper magneto timing. It is possible that power was reduced to idle during the final approach at which time the engine quit due to a lean carburetor adjustment with insufficient altitude remaining for a restart. This was aggravated by conditions causing the excess magneto drop noted during the engine run.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) INSPECTOR'S STATEMENT: MY NAME IS WILLIS H. POWER; I'M EMPLOYED AS AN AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR AT THE FORT WORTH FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE. ON MAY 10, 2004, I INVESTIGATED AN INCIDENT INVOLVING THE OPERATION OF N1913J, A BREEZY AMATEUR BUILT AIRCRAFT OWNED AND OPERATED BY CHARLES WAYNE JORDAN, PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE NUMBER 462388028. MR. JORDAN WAS ON FINAL APPROACH TO THE NASSAU BAY AIRPORT, A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP LOCATED NEAR ACTON, TEXAS, WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER. MR. JORDAN STATED HE SWITCHED FUEL TANKS BUT WAS UNABLE TO REGAIN POWER FROM THE ENGINE AND ELECTED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON A ROAD. THE PROXIMITY OF POWER LINES TO MR. JORDAN'S CHOSEN LANDING SITE REQUIRED MANEUVERING THE AIRCRAFT TO THE RIGHT. INITIAL GROUND CONTACT WAS ON THE EDGE OF A DITCH RUNNING PARALLEL TO THE ROAD. THE AIRCRAFT PROCEEDED INTO THE DITCH, THROUGH SOME ROCKS, AND CAME TO REST IN A WET CREEK. MR. JORDAN EXITED THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT INJURY BUT THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE LANDING GEAR, NOSE, ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS FROM WATER IN THE CREEK, AND LEFT WING LEADING EDGE WHICH STRUCK A T-POST NEXT TO THE ROAD. INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: A SMALL AMOUNT OF SEDIMENT AND WATER WAS DRAINED FROM THE RIGHT WING TANK SUMP. FUEL FROM THE LEFT WING TANK AND COLLECTOR TANK WAS CLEAR. AN ADDITIONAL 1 GALLON OF FUEL WAS DRAINED WITH NO INDICATION OF CONTAMINATION. THE ENGINE WAS STARTED, INITALLY RUNNING ROUGH THEN SMOOTHING OUT AFTER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BUT THE ENGINE WOULD QUIT WHEN POWER WAS REDUCED TO IDLE. THE CARBURETOR MIXTURE ADJUSTMENT WAS RICHENED AND THE ENGINE SUSTAINED IDLE POWER FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME FOLLOWING THIS ADJUSTMENT. MAGNETO DROP ON THE LEFT MAGNETO WAS APPROXIMATELY 100 RPM AND APPROXIMATELY 200 RPM ON THE RIGHT MAGNETO INDICATING A FOULED PLUG OR IMPROPER MAGNETO TIMING. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT POWER WAS REDUCED TO IDLE DURING THE FINAL APPROACH AT WHICH TIME THE ENGINE QUIT DUE TO A LEAN CARBURETOR ADJUSTMENT WITH INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE REMAINING FOR A RESTART. THIS WAS AGGRAVATED BY CONDITIONS CAUSING THE EXCESS MAGNETO DROP NOTED DURING THE ENGINE RUN.