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20080830855659I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Aerost YAK-52 · Sewall, FL · August 30, 2008

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

Date
August 30, 2008 · 12:15 local
Place
Sewall, FL
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N524CK
Reported as
Aerost YAK52
Reported engine
VEDENY M14P
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
5,500 total80 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days
N524CKRegistration cancelled Oct 2, 2017 · Aerostar S A YAK-52S/N 800802 · Built 1980Airframe modelAerostar S A YAK-52Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

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.

Experimental aircraft N524CK was flying back to witham field, stuart, Florida, when he smelled a strong fuel odor, engine sputtered and then stopped. Pilot was unsuccessful in attempts to restart engine and could not make it back to the airport at which point he made the decision to ditch aircraft in shallow water approximately 4.5 feet deep. Aircraft was recovered and engine removed and sent to aircraft manufacturer for inspection and overhaul. Aircraft inspected by FAA certificated a&p/ia after recovery. Suspected fuel pump failure which cannot be confirmed until after manufacturer’s inspection. During recovery inspection, a broken safety wire tab on a header tank fitting and loose nut was discovered. Fuel from main tank is sucked into header tank through two fuel filters and into fuel pump and then pushed to carburetor. An air leak in fitting on this tank would allow the fuel pump to suck air instead of fuel. Owner posted information on yak website to inform all yak operators of possibility of the broken safety wire tabs on header tank which could possibly cause engine failure.

As the FAA filed it

EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT N524CK WAS FLYING BACK TO WITHAM FIELD, STUART, FLORIDA, WHEN HE SMELLED A STRONG FUEL ODOR, ENGINE SPUTTERED AND THEN STOPPED. PILOT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN ATTEMPTS TO RESTART ENGINE AND COULD NOT MAKE IT BACK TO THE AIRPORT AT WHICH POINT HE MADE THE DECISION TO DITCH AIRCRAFT IN SHALLOW WATER APPROXIMATELY 4.5 FEET DEEP. AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED AND ENGINE REMOVED AND SENT TO AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER FOR INSPECTION AND OVERHAUL. AIRCRAFT INSPECTED BY FAA CERTIFICATED A&P/IA AFTER RECOVERY. SUSPECTED FUEL PUMP FAILURE WHICH CANNOT BE CONFIRMED UNTIL AFTER MANUFACTURER’S INSPECTION. DURING RECOVERY INSPECTION, A BROKEN SAFETY WIRE TAB ON A HEADER TANK FITTING AND LOOSE NUT WAS DISCOVERED. FUEL FROM MAIN TANK IS SUCKED INTO HEADER TANK THROUGH TWO FUEL FILTERS AND INTO FUEL PUMP AND THEN PUSHED TO CARBURETOR. AN AIR LEAK IN FITTING ON THIS TANK WOULD ALLOW THE FUEL PUMP TO SUCK AIR INSTEAD OF FUEL. OWNER POSTED INFORMATION ON YAK WEBSITE TO INFORM ALL YAK OPERATORS OF POSSIBILITY OF THE BROKEN SAFETY WIRE TABS ON HEADER TANK WHICH COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE ENGINE FAILURE.