- Date
- October 17, 1990, 13:08 local (17:08 UTC)
- Place
- Knoxville, TN
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N19SRE TN Plts Starduster Starduster II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901017046219A
- Case key
- 8350
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Pilot's inadvertent closing of the fuel shutoff valve, which totally or partially restricted fuel flow to the engine.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot reported a loss of engine power at about 300 feet AGL during the takeoff leg. The airplane was force landed in a lake about 500 feet from the departure end of the runway. An engine examination failed to reveal the source of the power loss. The pilot reported that someone may have placed the fuel lever into the 'off' position prior to flight. He also stated that he may have inadvertently kicked the fuel switch to the 'off' position. He reported that he does not use a checklist, and he sets the cockpit switches up for the next flight after engine shutdown.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N19SR
- Reported as
- E TN Plts Starduster Starduster II (STARDUSTER)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 389
- Airframe hours
- 108
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1D, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- East Tennessee Pilot'S Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 28, 1990 · 11 hours before
- Airport
- TN98 · Sky Ranch, runway 19, 2,000 × 100 ft, grass/turf
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total · 156 in this make and model · 2,500 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TYS, 2 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.