# Incident 20090112000759I: Tmpson NAVIONA, Latrobe, PA, January 12, 2009

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 12, 2009, 12:02 local time
- Place: Latrobe, PA
- Damage: Minor damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.3124° N, 79.3826° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Latrobe, PA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.3124&lon=-79.3826&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4387K, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4387K) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Ryan NAVION A (registry code 6150162, https://openairdocs.org/model/ryan-navion-a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental E185 series (registry code 17014, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-e185-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: TMPSON NAVIONA
- Reported engine: CONT E185*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,500 total, 25 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20090112000759I

## Narrative

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

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.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.