# Incident 20080830855659I: Aerost YAK52, Sewall, FL, August 30, 2008

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 30, 2008, 12:15 local time
- Place: Sewall, FL
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Aircraft: N524CK, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N524CK-2017-10-02) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aerostar S A YAK-52 (registry code 1140003, https://openairdocs.org/model/aerostar-s-a-yak-52) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AEROST YAK52
- Reported engine: VEDENY M14P
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 5,500 total, 80 in this make and model, 15 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080830855659I

## Narrative

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

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.

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.

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