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20200808008979I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Breezer BREEZER · St. Francisvill, IL · August 8, 2020

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 8, 2020 · 03:50 local
Place
St. Francisvill, IL
Airport
Mount Carmel Municipal
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N304WS
Reported as
Breezer Breezer
Reported engine
ROTAX 912S
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
5,200 total40 in this make and model35 in the last 90 days
N304WSRegistered now · Breezer BREEZERS/N 007 LSAAirframe modelBreezer BREEZEREngine modelRotax 912S series4 cycle

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.

At approximately 15:50 CST on August 8, 2020, N304WS, a Breezer Aircraft-Breezer, executed an emergency landing on a rural road approximately 3 miles southeast of Mount Carmel Municipal Airport (ajg) in st. francisville, IL. The pilot stated that approximately 3 hours into his flight, he began to descend in order to refuel his aircraft. He stated that when he entered a nose down pitch attitude to descend, the aircraft's engine began to run rough. He stated that he levelled off his descent and the engine roughness dissipated. He stated that he started his descent again and every time he entered a nose low pitch attitude the aircraft began to run rough. In his second attempt to descend, the engine shut off completely. He stated he levelled off again and was able to restart the engine. After restarting the engine, he maintained level flight until he felt he had to enter a descent again in order to make an approach for the airport. He then attempted to continue his descent when the engine shut off again. The pilot stated that he was unable to restart the engine this time and made a judgement that he wasn't going to be able to glide to afg. He then made the decision to land on a rural road. The landing did not result in any damage to the aircraft. The pilot stated that he had tested the fuel prior to departing from greenville-spartanburg international airport (gsp), and found water in that sample. He stated that he strained the fuel multiple times until he obtained consecutive clean fuel samples. The pilot stated that after he landed on the rural road he obtained a fuel sample from the fuel tank and found a significant amount of water in the tank. He drained all of the water out of the fuel tank and added approximately 3 gallons of auto gas before departing the rural road and landing at ajg to rest for the evening.

As the FAA filed it

AT APPROXIMATELY 15:50 CST ON AUGUST 8, 2020, N304WS, A BREEZER AIRCRAFT-BREEZER, EXECUTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON A RURAL ROAD APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MOUNT CARMEL MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (AJG) IN ST. FRANCISVILLE, IL. THE PILOT STATED THAT APPROXIMATELY 3 HOURS INTO HIS FLIGHT, HE BEGAN TO DESCEND IN ORDER TO REFUEL HIS AIRCRAFT. HE STATED THAT WHEN HE ENTERED A NOSE DOWN PITCH ATTITUDE TO DESCEND, THE AIRCRAFT'S ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. HE STATED THAT HE LEVELLED OFF HIS DESCENT AND THE ENGINE ROUGHNESS DISSIPATED. HE STATED THAT HE STARTED HIS DESCENT AGAIN AND EVERY TIME HE ENTERED A NOSE LOW PITCH ATTITUDE THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. IN HIS SECOND ATTEMPT TO DESCEND, THE ENGINE SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. HE STATED HE LEVELLED OFF AGAIN AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. AFTER RESTARTING THE ENGINE, HE MAINTAINED LEVEL FLIGHT UNTIL HE FELT HE HAD TO ENTER A DESCENT AGAIN IN ORDER TO MAKE AN APPROACH FOR THE AIRPORT. HE THEN ATTEMPTED TO CONTINUE HIS DESCENT WHEN THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AGAIN. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE THIS TIME AND MADE A JUDGEMENT THAT HE WASN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO GLIDE TO AFG. HE THEN MADE THE DECISION TO LAND ON A RURAL ROAD. THE LANDING DID NOT RESULT IN ANY DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD TESTED THE FUEL PRIOR TO DEPARTING FROM GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (GSP), AND FOUND WATER IN THAT SAMPLE. HE STATED THAT HE STRAINED THE FUEL MULTIPLE TIMES UNTIL HE OBTAINED CONSECUTIVE CLEAN FUEL SAMPLES. THE PILOT STATED THAT AFTER HE LANDED ON THE RURAL ROAD HE OBTAINED A FUEL SAMPLE FROM THE FUEL TANK AND FOUND A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WATER IN THE TANK. HE DRAINED ALL OF THE WATER OUT OF THE FUEL TANK AND ADDED APPROXIMATELY 3 GALLONS OF AUTO GAS BEFORE DEPARTING THE RURAL ROAD AND LANDING AT AJG TO REST FOR THE EVENING.