20151006016499A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Aircraft · Bottineau, ND · October 6, 2015

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: October 6, 2015 · 19:00 local
Place: Bottineau, ND
Airport: Bottineau Municipal
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: NONE
Reported engine: Aerosport IO-375-B1B
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 538 total1 in this make and model5 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.

While test flying an unregistered/unairworthy aircraft, pilot smelled fuel in the cockpit. Engine lost power and quit shortly after fuel smell was detected at 5000 feet AGL. Emergency landing initiated in farm field. Loss of directional control during landing roll-out causing collision with parked tractor. Post accident investigation revealed fuel line from engine driven pump disconnected at fuel servo causing fuel starvation.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE TEST FLYING AN UNREGISTERED/UNAIRWORTHY AIRCRAFT, PILOT SMELLED FUEL IN THE COCKPIT. ENGINE LOST POWER AND QUIT SHORTLY AFTER FUEL SMELL WAS DETECTED AT 5000 FEET AGL. EMERGENCY LANDING INITIATED IN FARM FIELD. LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING LANDING ROLL-OUT CAUSING COLLISION WITH PARKED TRACTOR. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED FUEL LINE FROM ENGINE DRIVEN PUMP DISCONNECTED AT FUEL SERVO CAUSING FUEL STARVATION.