20161215021909I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Higher Class Sport Hornet · El Cajon, CA · December 15, 2016

Date: December 15, 2016 · 12:08 local
Place: El Cajon, CA
Airport: Gillespie
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N553P
Reported as: Higher Class Sport Hornet
Reported engine: ROTAX 912ULS
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Flight instructor, private pilot, sport pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 344 total280 in this make and model24 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.

Gillespie field CA (ksee) El Cajon while taking off from 27L and at approximately 100FT AGL the pilot reported hearing the engine spudder and then the aircraft began to shaking. The pilot then attempted to land the aircraft immediately and gauged the speed to be 80KTS, the aircraft went off runway and struck a depression in the field causing the nose landing gear to shear off. An inspection of the aircraft after the incident revealed that although the fuel tanks were full the carbereturs were starved of fuel. The main fuel supply line had gotten snagged on the wing flap control horn. When the flaps retracted the fuel line was bent in half thus cutting fuel to both carburetors and causing the engine to malfunction. Once the line was straightened the engine operated normally.

As the FAA filed it

GILLESPIE FIELD CA (KSEE) EL CAJON WHILE TAKING OFF FROM 27L AND AT APPROXIMATELY 100FT AGL THE PILOT REPORTED HEARING THE ENGINE SPUDDER AND THEN THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SHAKING. THE PILOT THEN ATTEMPTED TO LAND THE AIRCRAFT IMMEDIATELY AND GAUGED THE SPEED TO BE 80KTS, THE AIRCRAFT WENT OFF RUNWAY AND STRUCK A DEPRESSION IN THE FIELD CAUSING THE NOSE LANDING GEAR TO SHEAR OFF. AN INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER THE INCIDENT REVEALED THAT ALTHOUGH THE FUEL TANKS WERE FULL THE CARBERETURS WERE STARVED OF FUEL. THE MAIN FUEL SUPPLY LINE HAD GOTTEN SNAGGED ON THE WING FLAP CONTROL HORN. WHEN THE FLAPS RETRACTED THE FUEL LINE WAS BENT IN HALF THUS CUTTING FUEL TO BOTH CARBURETORS AND CAUSING THE ENGINE TO MALFUNCTION. ONCE THE LINE WAS STRAIGHTENED THE ENGINE OPERATED NORMALLY.