20120421006779I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Burt Glenn B III SOPWITH PUP (L R T) · Wausau, WI · April 21, 2012

Date: April 21, 2012 · 11:30 local
Place: Wausau, WI
Airport: Wausau Downtown Airport
Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N6184
Reported as: Burt Glenn B III Sopwith PUP (L R T)
Reported engine: ROTEC R-2800
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,500 total16 in this make and model3 in the last 90 days

N6184Registered now · Burt Glenn B III SOPWITH PUP (L R T)S/N N6184 · Built 2011 Airframe modelBurt Glenn B III SOPWITH PUP (L R T)Engine 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.

While on approach to land on runway 12, the engine quit, do to fuel exhaustion in the forward tank. This tank supplies fuel to the engine. The pilot stated that he had fuel in the aft tank but he had let the forward tank fuel quantity get too low. He tried to transfer fuel by gravity, but it would not transfer to the forward tank at a fast enough rate to keep engine running. The fuel system is equipped with an electric fuel transfer pump, however, the pilot never turned it on. The aircraft landed in lake Wausau, sustaining only minor damage.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE ON APPROACH TO LAND ON RUNWAY 12, THE ENGINE QUIT, DO TO FUEL EXHAUSTION IN THE FORWARD TANK. THIS TANK SUPPLIES FUEL TO THE ENGINE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD FUEL IN THE AFT TANK BUT HE HAD LET THE FORWARD TANK FUEL QUANTITY GET TOO LOW. HE TRIED TO TRANSFER FUEL BY GRAVITY, BUT IT WOULD NOT TRANSFER TO THE FORWARD TANK AT A FAST ENOUGH RATE TO KEEP ENGINE RUNNING. THE FUEL SYSTEM IS EQUIPPED WITH AN ELECTRIC FUEL TRANSFER PUMP, HOWEVER, THE PILOT NEVER TURNED IT ON. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED IN LAKE WAUSAU, SUSTAINING ONLY MINOR DAMAGE.