- Date
- March 16, 1992, 17:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Titus, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N101ABKolb Mark III
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920316006399A
- Case key
- 8573
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
The manufacturer's failure to install the main fuel line properly which resulted in fuel starvation and a loss of engine power.
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 experimental airplane lost power 10.9 hours into the 40 hour test phase. According to the pilot shortly after liftoff from the private sod airstrip the engine quit. He attempted to maneuver the airplane away from the adjacent tree line but failed. He also deployed the ballistic parachute which also failed to deploy fully. Examination of the aircraft disclosed that the main fuel line was pinched, and prevented the normal flow of fuel to the engine. The examination failed to disclose any additional mechanical problems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N101AB
- Reported as
- Kolb Mark III
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- M3-011
- Airframe hours
- 11
- Engine
- Rotax 582UL, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hauck, John R.
- Registered owner
- Hauck, John R.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 15, 1992 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- Titus, AL
- Airport
- NONE, runway 3, 600 × 75 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Certificates
- Military, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 903 total · 54 in this make and model · 11 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MGM, 30 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.