20121011024799A

PILOT TOOK OFF OF RUNWAY 17, CLIMBED TO ABOUT 200-300 FT AGL, AND EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE POWER LOSS. HE IMMEDIATELY, PULLED THE THROTTLE TO IDLE TO TRY AND LAND ON THE REMAINING RUNWAY. THERE WERE SKID MARKS FROM ABOUT 100' OF THE END OF RUNWAY 17, WHERE THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY, CRASHED THROUGH A FENCE, AND CAME TO REST INVERTED. DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT IS CONSISTENT WITH IMPACT DAMAGE TO THE FENCE. VISIBLE DAMAGE WAS AS FOLLOWS: - BENT PROPELLOR, CRACKED/BROKEN R&L WHEEL FAIRING, CRACKED/BROKEN ENGINE COWLING, L WING LEADING EDGE DAMAGE, R WING TRAILING EDGE DAMAGE TO REAR SPAR AT AILERON, UPPER WING DAMAGE FROM IMPACT OF FLIPPING OVER, VERTICAL STAB IMPACT DAMAGE FROM FLIPPING OVER, ENGINE MOUNT TORN/BROKEN IN NUMEROUS DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, REAR OIL FILTER ATTACH POINT BROKEN, PROPELLOR SPINNER BROKEN, RIGHT WING STRUT BENT.11/15/12: MET WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND NTSB INVESTIGATORS AT AIR SALVAGE OF DALLAS (ASOD) FOR ENGINE RUN AND ANALYSIS. THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ INFORMED US THAT HE DID A FUEL FLOW TEST THE PREVIOUS NIGHT, AND NOTED THAT HE WAS ONLY GETTING 1 QT PER 3 MINUTES. THIS EQUATES TO ROUGHLY 5 GAL/HOUR FUEL FLOW. ENGINE ANALYSIS WAS AS FOLLOWS: #3 SPARK PLUG HAD FOREIGN MATTER IN THE ELECTRODE, SHORTING IT OUT; ONE MAGNETO WAS WELL WORN, CAUSING ENGINE TIMING TO BE OFF FACTORY SETTING. A NEW PLUG WAS INSERTED AND ENGINE RUN WAS SUCCESFUL. ENGINE TIMING WAS RESET TO FACTORY SETTING WITH A RESULT OF A SMOOTHER RUNNING ENGINE. FUEL FLOW WAS THEN RESTRICTED TO 5 GAL/HR TO APPROXIMATE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OBSERVATION. THE ENGINE RAN FINE AT IDLE AND RUNUP SPEEDS. HOWEVER, AT TAKEOFF POWER SETTINGS, THE ENGINE BECAME FUEL STARVED AND QUIT AFTER 15 SECONDS. ACCORDING TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN AIRBORNE AND AT APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET AFTER 15 SECONDS. THIS CLOSELY RESEMBLES THE EVENTS AND TIMELINE OF THE ACCIDENT.11/16/12: MET WITH THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OF N848Z, THIS MORNING AT HIS HANGAR. THE PURPOSE OF THIS MEETING WAS TO CONDUCT A FUEL FLOW RATE TEST AS A FOLLOW UP TO THE ENGINE RUN RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY AT AIR SALVAGE OF DALLAS (ASOD). USING A GRADUATED CONTAINER, I OBSERVED THE OWNER OPEN THE FUEL VALVE OF N848Z AND ALLOW FUEL TO FLOW FROM THE MAIN FUEL TANK INTO THE CONTAINER THROUGH THE FLEX TUBING, WHICH IS THE SAME TUBING THAT CONNECTS TO THE CARBURETOR. I STARTED A STOPWATCH AND TIMED THE FUEL FLOW UNTIL REACHING THE 16OZ. MARK ON THE CONTAINER. THE TIME TO 16 OZ. WAS 1MINUTE, 15 SEC. THIS WOULD EQUATE TO APPROXIMATELY 7.5 GAL/HOUR FUEL FLOW, CONSISTENT WITH THE ENGINE RUN TEST YESTERDAY AT ASOD.NEXT, THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REMOVED THE FLEX TUBING, AND REPLACED IT WITH A CLEAR PLASTIC TUBING WHICH SLIPPED OVER THE FITTING. UPON OPENING THE FUEL VALVE, SOME KIND OF RED RTV TYPE MATERIAL FLOWED THROUGH THE TUBING AND INTO THE CONTAINER. THE FLOW OF FUEL DRAMATICALLY IMPROVED WHEN USING THE CLEAR PLASTIC TUBING. THE ORIGINAL FLEX TUBING WAS BLOWN OUT WITH COMPRESSED AIR, AND SOME MORE FOREIGN MATERIAL RESIDUE EXITED ONTO THE WORKBENCH. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, THEN DRAINED THE FUEL TANK AND REMOVED THE FORWARD AND AFT FUEL SCREENS. THE REAR SCREEN CONTAINED THE SAME FOREIGN MATERIAL THAT WAS FOUND IN THE FLEX LINE. IN ADDITION, BOTH FUEL SCREENS WERE OF A SIZE THAT CAN ALLOW LARGE PARTICLES TO PASS THROUGH AND ENTER THE FUEL LINES, LARGE ENOUGH TO RESTRICT OR INHIBIT FUEL FLOW. FURTHER INVESTIGATION SHOWS RTV WAS USED AS A GASKET FOR AN IN-TANK FUEL GAUGE INSTALLATION THAT HAD DETERIORATED.CONCLUSION: IT IS APPARENT THAT THE OBSTRUCTION FOUND IN THE FUEL LINES WAS SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO REDUCE THE FLOW OF FUEL TO THE ENGINE SO THAT THE ENGINE COULD NOT MAINTAIN FULL POWER AFTER APPROXIMATELY 15 SECONDS. ONCE THESE OBSTRUCTIONS WERE REMOVED, FUEL FLOW RETURNED TO NORMAL. ENGINE POWER LOSS CAUSED BY FUEL FLOW RESTRICTION BY FOREIGN MATERIAL IN THE FUEL LINE.INVESTIGATION CLOSED.