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20090112000759I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Tmpson NAVION A · Latrobe, PA · January 12, 2009

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
January 12, 2009 · 12:02 local
Place
Latrobe, PA
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N4387K
Reported as
Tmpson Naviona
Reported engine
Continental E185*
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,500 total25 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days
N4387KRegistered now · Ryan NAVION AS/N NAV-4-1387 · Built 1948Airframe modelRyan NAVION AEngine modelContinental E185 seriesReciprocating

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.

The PIC was on a cross-country from monticello, NY (kmsv) to st. louis, MO. PIC departed approximately 9:00 am from kmsv. No flight plan was filed or planned, according to privacy data omitted statement. After several hours into the flight, PIC descended below the broken/ovc layer to find an airport to fuel up. He switched to "the aux tank system and was flying approximately 20 minutes" when the engine began to run rough. He then switched back to the main tanks and shortly after the engine quit. He tried to restart, but due to low altitude, selected a field and landed gear up due to the possibility of soft wet ground. After the aircraft came to a stop, pilot evacuated the aircraft the aircraft and flagged a mailman down to call 911 for help. (-23 amendment) N4387K amendment. On 03/11/09 the owner of the aircraft removed the fuel valve assembly from the aircraft and presented to FAA inspector privacy data omitted. The fuel valve was tested and it was establish the handle would turn with out turning the fuel valve shaft. The handle was removed from the shaft and the operation of the fuel valve was tested and found to be highly resistance to movement. It was also noted an unapproved repair/alteration was done to the top of the fuel valve's shaft were the handle attaches. The top of the shaft had been altered by grounding down the oblong handle attach point and rounding the area. Threads were then cut on the rounded area. Two non standard 1/2 inch square nuts were installed on the cut threads and jam locked together. A non standard handle was attached to the nuts. The valve body was disassembled and inspected. The internal surfaces of the fuel valve body and the fuel valve rotor were found to be coarse.

As the FAA filed it

THE PIC WAS ON A CROSS-COUNTRY FROM MONTICELLO, NY (KMSV) TO ST. LOUIS, MO. PIC DEPARTED APPROXIMATELY 9:00 AM FROM KMSV. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED OR PLANNED, ACCORDING TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATEMENT. AFTER SEVERAL HOURS INTO THE FLIGHT, PIC DESCENDED BELOW THE BROKEN/OVC LAYER TO FIND AN AIRPORT TO FUEL UP. HE SWITCHED TO "THE AUX TANK SYSTEM AND WAS FLYING APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES" WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. HE THEN SWITCHED BACK TO THE MAIN TANKS AND SHORTLY AFTER THE ENGINE QUIT. HE TRIED TO RESTART, BUT DUE TO LOW ALTITUDE, SELECTED A FIELD AND LANDED GEAR UP DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF SOFT WET GROUND. AFTER THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP, PILOT EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT THE AIRCRAFT AND FLAGGED A MAILMAN DOWN TO CALL 911 FOR HELP. (-23 AMENDMENT) N4387K AMENDMENT. ON 03/11/09 THE OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT REMOVED THE FUEL VALVE ASSEMBLY FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND PRESENTED TO FAA INSPECTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE FUEL VALVE WAS TESTED AND IT WAS ESTABLISH THE HANDLE WOULD TURN WITH OUT TURNING THE FUEL VALVE SHAFT. THE HANDLE WAS REMOVED FROM THE SHAFT AND THE OPERATION OF THE FUEL VALVE WAS TESTED AND FOUND TO BE HIGHLY RESISTANCE TO MOVEMENT. IT WAS ALSO NOTED AN UNAPPROVED REPAIR/ALTERATION WAS DONE TO THE TOP OF THE FUEL VALVE'S SHAFT WERE THE HANDLE ATTACHES. THE TOP OF THE SHAFT HAD BEEN ALTERED BY GROUNDING DOWN THE OBLONG HANDLE ATTACH POINT AND ROUNDING THE AREA. THREADS WERE THEN CUT ON THE ROUNDED AREA. TWO NON STANDARD 1/2 INCH SQUARE NUTS WERE INSTALLED ON THE CUT THREADS AND JAM LOCKED TOGETHER. A NON STANDARD HANDLE WAS ATTACHED TO THE NUTS. THE VALVE BODY WAS DISASSEMBLED AND INSPECTED. THE INTERNAL SURFACES OF THE FUEL VALVE BODY AND THE FUEL VALVE ROTOR WERE FOUND TO BE COARSE.