20161016020459A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Bellanca 17-31A · Mcalester, OK · October 16, 2016

Date
October 16, 2016 · 12:10 local
Place
Mcalester, OK
Airport
Mc Alester Regional
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N93668
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN17LA019
Reported as
Bellanca 17-31A
Reported engine
Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
2
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
2,983 total5 in this make and model74 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 subject aircraft/owner (newly purchased) was receiving flight instruction and was attempting a touch and go at mcallester, OK. (Kmlc) and experienced an engine failure on climb out over the departure end of the runway. The aircraft/pilot executed an emergency landing 200 feet south of the departure threshold. The aircraft impacted terrain upright and slid 30-40 feet and sustained substantial damage, no post impact fire ensued.

The flight instructor stated ?we performed the gumps check and since the left wing tank was highest, we selected it to burn from. We verified tank selection by ensuring the left tank light was lit. After the touch and go, passing 100 ft, the engine failed. We set glide speed (102 mph) and I came inside the cockpit to verify the fuel selector was to the left wing tank, that the mixture was full rich, the prop at full and the throttle at full?.

Aircraft inspection revealed major impact damage to both wing spars, left and right main gear, both flaps, propeller and entire bottom of the fuselage, engine mount ears were also found broken. Minimal fuel was present in left and right main tanks, aux. Tank appeared full. The fuel lines/hoses in the engine compartment were disconnected and contained only a few drops of what appeared and had the odor of avgas. Further inspection of the lower fuselage in the area of the fuel selector valve revealed heavy impact damage and separation of the a/n fittings for the fuel supply lines. The gascolator screen was not obstructed and bowl only contained a few drops of what appeared and had the odor of avgas.

The initial inspection of the aircraft revealed a possible un-porting of the fuel supply to the engine during climb out due to low fuel quantity and the switching of the fuel selector. An additional contributing factor may also be the manufacturer?s omission of the requirement to turn on the electric boost pump during take off and landing and when switching fuel tanks. Further investigation may reveal additional findings and this report will be amended as required.

As the FAA filed it

THE SUBJECT AIRCRAFT/OWNER (NEWLY PURCHASED) WAS RECEIVING FLIGHT INSTRUCTION AND WAS ATTEMPTING A TOUCH AND GO AT MCALLESTER, OK. (KMLC) AND EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE FAILURE ON CLIMB OUT OVER THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT/PILOT EXECUTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING 200 FEET SOUTH OF THE DEPARTURE THRESHOLD. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED TERRAIN UPRIGHT AND SLID 30-40 FEET AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, NO POST IMPACT FIRE ENSUED.

THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR STATED ?WE PERFORMED THE GUMPS CHECK AND SINCE THE LEFT WING TANK WAS HIGHEST, WE SELECTED IT TO BURN FROM. WE VERIFIED TANK SELECTION BY ENSURING THE LEFT TANK LIGHT WAS LIT. AFTER THE TOUCH AND GO, PASSING 100 FT, THE ENGINE FAILED. WE SET GLIDE SPEED (102 MPH) AND I CAME INSIDE THE COCKPIT TO VERIFY THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS TO THE LEFT WING TANK, THAT THE MIXTURE WAS FULL RICH, THE PROP AT FULL AND THE THROTTLE AT FULL?.

AIRCRAFT INSPECTION REVEALED MAJOR IMPACT DAMAGE TO BOTH WING SPARS, LEFT AND RIGHT MAIN GEAR, BOTH FLAPS, PROPELLER AND ENTIRE BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE, ENGINE MOUNT EARS WERE ALSO FOUND BROKEN. MINIMAL FUEL WAS PRESENT IN LEFT AND RIGHT MAIN TANKS, AUX. TANK APPEARED FULL. THE FUEL LINES/HOSES IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WERE DISCONNECTED AND CONTAINED ONLY A FEW DROPS OF WHAT APPEARED AND HAD THE ODOR OF AVGAS. FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE LOWER FUSELAGE IN THE AREA OF THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE REVEALED HEAVY IMPACT DAMAGE AND SEPARATION OF THE A/N FITTINGS FOR THE FUEL SUPPLY LINES. THE GASCOLATOR SCREEN WAS NOT OBSTRUCTED AND BOWL ONLY CONTAINED A FEW DROPS OF WHAT APPEARED AND HAD THE ODOR OF AVGAS.

THE INITIAL INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED A POSSIBLE UN-PORTING OF THE FUEL SUPPLY TO THE ENGINE DURING CLIMB OUT DUE TO LOW FUEL QUANTITY AND THE SWITCHING OF THE FUEL SELECTOR. AN ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTING FACTOR MAY ALSO BE THE MANUFACTURER?S OMISSION OF THE REQUIREMENT TO TURN ON THE ELECTRIC BOOST PUMP DURING TAKE OFF AND LANDING AND WHEN SWITCHING FUEL TANKS. FURTHER INVESTIGATION MAY REVEAL ADDITIONAL FINDINGS AND THIS REPORT WILL BE AMENDED AS REQUIRED.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.