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20130729015469I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Smircich Andrew PA-18 Replica · Homer, AK · July 29, 2013

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 29, 2013 · 17:00 local
Place
Homer, AK
Airport
Homer
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N9969Z
Reported as
Smircich Andrew PA-18 Replica
Reported engine
Aerosport Power O360
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
10,500 total701 in this make and model84 in the last 90 days

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 facts in this narrative are based on statements made by the privacy data omittedpilot in command during an interview conducted on July 31, 2013:

During a flight conducted under 14 CFR 91 rules, a PA-18 replica aircraft experienced a powerplant failure resulting in a forced landing in a marsh with no reported damage to the aircraft. The pilot stated that the aircraft engine surged at which time he manipulated the fuel selector valves which restored the running of the engine momentarily. The engine then surged and quit due to fuel exhaustion as stated by the pilot. During the interview of the pilotprivacy data omitted the design of the fuel system was discussed. The pilot privacy data omitted stated that the fuel lines run from the right and left tanks but traverse the wing root area and have to rise before running down the door posts on the respective sides of the aircraft. This causes a high spot in the gravity feed type fuel system resulting in reliance of siphoning to prevent interruption of the fuel supply to the engine. By the pilot?s own admission this is not the first time the engine has indicated that it was going to quit due to fuel starvation. The pilot stated that the system definitely needed a fuel pump between the tank and the doorpost(s).

As the FAA filed it

THE FACTS IN THIS NARRATIVE ARE BASED ON STATEMENTS MADE BY THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^PILOT IN COMMAND DURING AN INTERVIEW CONDUCTED ON JULY 31, 2013:

DURING A FLIGHT CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR 91 RULES, A PA-18 REPLICA AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A POWERPLANT FAILURE RESULTING IN A FORCED LANDING IN A MARSH WITH NO REPORTED DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE SURGED AT WHICH TIME HE MANIPULATED THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVES WHICH RESTORED THE RUNNING OF THE ENGINE MOMENTARILY. THE ENGINE THEN SURGED AND QUIT DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION AS STATED BY THE PILOT. DURING THE INTERVIEW OF THE PILOT^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THE DESIGN OF THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS DISCUSSED. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT THE FUEL LINES RUN FROM THE RIGHT AND LEFT TANKS BUT TRAVERSE THE WING ROOT AREA AND HAVE TO RISE BEFORE RUNNING DOWN THE DOOR POSTS ON THE RESPECTIVE SIDES OF THE AIRCRAFT. THIS CAUSES A HIGH SPOT IN THE GRAVITY FEED TYPE FUEL SYSTEM RESULTING IN RELIANCE OF SIPHONING TO PREVENT INTERRUPTION OF THE FUEL SUPPLY TO THE ENGINE. BY THE PILOT?S OWN ADMISSION THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE ENGINE HAS INDICATED THAT IT WAS GOING TO QUIT DUE TO FUEL STARVATION. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE SYSTEM DEFINITELY NEEDED A FUEL PUMP BETWEEN THE TANK AND THE DOORPOST(S).