What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The aircraft departed from deland, Florida (ded) on a local flight at 0900 EDT. On the return leg to deland while in cruise at 3000 feet the engine suddenly lost power. A restart was unsuccessful. The aircraft crashed in a wooded area coming to rest inverted, sustaining extensive damage to both wings, forward fuselage, and engine cowling. The prop blades had no evidence of rotation. Continuity of the flight and engine controls could not be established due to the extent of damage. The fuel gascolator bowl in the engine compartment was found undamaged but slightly loose and the retaining nut was found not safetied. The duct between the fuel tank filler and the top of the fuel tank had separated from the fuel tank during the crash sequence. There were no obstructions observed in the fuel system. There was no evidence of fuel at the crash site except for a slight odor of fuel at the fuel cap and at the fuel selector valve. It had rained the day after the accident. The engine had compression and showed no signs of internal or external damage. The engine had no carburetor heat system since the slide carburetor had no venturi. There was no fuel pressure gage. The two electric fuel pumps and the two independent ignition systems shared a common power buss. Fuel pump and ignition switch positions could not be verified due to impact damage.
As the FAA filed it
THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FROM DELAND, FLORIDA (DED) ON A LOCAL FLIGHT AT 0900 EDT. ON THE RETURN LEG TO DELAND WHILE IN CRUISE AT 3000 FEET THE ENGINE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. A RESTART WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA COMING TO REST INVERTED, SUSTAINING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO BOTH WINGS, FORWARD FUSELAGE, AND ENGINE COWLING. THE PROP BLADES HAD NO EVIDENCE OF ROTATION. CONTINUITY OF THE FLIGHT AND ENGINE CONTROLS COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED DUE TO THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE. THE FUEL GASCOLATOR BOWL IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS FOUND UNDAMAGED BUT SLIGHTLY LOOSE AND THE RETAINING NUT WAS FOUND NOT SAFETIED. THE DUCT BETWEEN THE FUEL TANK FILLER AND THE TOP OF THE FUEL TANK HAD SEPARATED FROM THE FUEL TANK DURING THE CRASH SEQUENCE. THERE WERE NO OBSTRUCTIONS OBSERVED IN THE FUEL SYSTEM. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL AT THE CRASH SITE EXCEPT FOR A SLIGHT ODOR OF FUEL AT THE FUEL CAP AND AT THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE. IT HAD RAINED THE DAY AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE ENGINE HAD COMPRESSION AND SHOWED NO SIGNS OF INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL DAMAGE. THE ENGINE HAD NO CARBURETOR HEAT SYSTEM SINCE THE SLIDE CARBURETOR HAD NO VENTURI. THERE WAS NO FUEL PRESSURE GAGE. THE TWO ELECTRIC FUEL PUMPS AND THE TWO INDEPENDENT IGNITION SYSTEMS SHARED A COMMON POWER BUSS. FUEL PUMP AND IGNITION SWITCH POSITIONS COULD NOT BE VERIFIED DUE TO IMPACT DAMAGE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.