What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The pilot was accomplishing touch and go landings at Mt Sterling kiob for several landings then to morehead ksym for a landing. He returned to Mt Sterling kiob for a full stop taxi back for takeoff. On departure there was a twin Cessna in the pattern so he elected to turn out northwest off of runway 03 to get out of the way. This is when this flight takes a turn for the worse. His engine stopped producing power but continued to windmill. He switched tanks and turned on the boost pump this provided no result. He then made a radio call that his engine had quit. The twin Cessna (^mike miller^) helped navigate him to IH-64. He struck trees and then trees again. After the second set of trees he blacked out. The aircraft struck the ground and slid to a stop. Fuel was noted in photos of the accident scene trailing from the aircraft after the main fuel tanks ruptured.
I then asked him what tank he was feeding the engine from when the engine quit. He said the main tank and he switched to header to try and restart the engine. I let him talk more about the accident and the fuel selector. I then asked him what position the fuel selector was last in before the accident. He said header and was adamant about it. He said when he went from main to header he had to raise the gate to move the fuel selector to header. (I drew him a picture of the fuel selector and all of the positions)then told him the fuel selector was in the off position and could not move it out of the off position while the airplane was on it's belly. He said I might have screwed up then. He said this account from talking to me was the most he had learned about the accident.
As the FAA filed it
THE PILOT WAS ACCOMPLISHING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS AT MT STERLING KIOB FOR SEVERAL LANDINGS THEN TO MOREHEAD KSYM FOR A LANDING. HE RETURNED TO MT STERLING KIOB FOR A FULL STOP TAXI BACK FOR TAKEOFF. ON DEPARTURE THERE WAS A TWIN CESSNA IN THE PATTERN SO HE ELECTED TO TURN OUT NORTHWEST OFF OF RUNWAY 03 TO GET OUT OF THE WAY. THIS IS WHEN THIS FLIGHT TAKES A TURN FOR THE WORSE. HIS ENGINE STOPPED PRODUCING POWER BUT CONTINUED TO WINDMILL. HE SWITCHED TANKS AND TURNED ON THE BOOST PUMP THIS PROVIDED NO RESULT. HE THEN MADE A RADIO CALL THAT HIS ENGINE HAD QUIT. THE TWIN CESSNA (^MIKE MILLER^) HELPED NAVIGATE HIM TO IH-64. HE STRUCK TREES AND THEN TREES AGAIN. AFTER THE SECOND SET OF TREES HE BLACKED OUT. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND AND SLID TO A STOP. FUEL WAS NOTED IN PHOTOS OF THE ACCIDENT SCENE TRAILING FROM THE AIRCRAFT AFTER THE MAIN FUEL TANKS RUPTURED.
I THEN ASKED HIM WHAT TANK HE WAS FEEDING THE ENGINE FROM WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT. HE SAID THE MAIN TANK AND HE SWITCHED TO HEADER TO TRY AND RESTART THE ENGINE. I LET HIM TALK MORE ABOUT THE ACCIDENT AND THE FUEL SELECTOR. I THEN ASKED HIM WHAT POSITION THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS LAST IN BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. HE SAID HEADER AND WAS ADAMANT ABOUT IT. HE SAID WHEN HE WENT FROM MAIN TO HEADER HE HAD TO RAISE THE GATE TO MOVE THE FUEL SELECTOR TO HEADER. (I DREW HIM A PICTURE OF THE FUEL SELECTOR AND ALL OF THE POSITIONS)THEN TOLD HIM THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS IN THE OFF POSITION AND COULD NOT MOVE IT OUT OF THE OFF POSITION WHILE THE AIRPLANE WAS ON IT'S BELLY. HE SAID I MIGHT HAVE SCREWED UP THEN. HE SAID THIS ACCOUNT FROM TALKING TO ME WAS THE MOST HE HAD LEARNED ABOUT THE ACCIDENT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.