ATL96LA115

During takeoff for the sport parachute operation, the engine sputtered and quit, and the pilot landed the airplane in a residential yard. Examination revealed that fuel flow through the fuel selector valve was restricted. The fuel selector was disassembled, and the O-rings for the left side were found swelled. Placing the O-rings in the same automotive fuel as in the airplane resulted in their swelling so as to restrict flow through the selector valve. The airplane had been STC'd for the use of automotive fuel. No maintenance records were available for the selector valve.

On August 3, 1996, at 1400 central daylight time, a Cessna 182, N8584T, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in Smithville, Tennessee. The commercial pilot and four passengers were not injured. The airplane was being operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules, by the Skydive Tennessee. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed for the local skydive drop flight. The flight was departing the Smithville airport at the time of the accident.

According to the pilot, the engine surged a few times and then completely lost power on departure. He made a forced landing straight ahead in the yard of a residence. The nose wheel of the airplane hit the ground hard and bent back the nose gear. The engine cowling and propeller struck the ground, and were bent, as the nose gear bent back. The right main landing gear also hit hard and was bent backward six to eight inches. The aircraft had only been in service for one day following maintenance on the fuel system. The pilot did not provide a report of the accident, other than the attached record of telephone interview.

An FAA inspector subsequently discovered two "O" rings in the fuel selector that had swelled, restricting fuel flow to the engine. He noted that the "O" rings were sticky to the touch. The inspector reported that he removed the "O" rings and placed them in a jar with the same automotive fuel and observed that within 15 minutes the "O" rings again enlarged. Maintenance records for the fuel selector valve were not available. The inspector believed that the left side "O" rings were affected more than the right side "O" rings because of their longer exposure time to the automotive fuel.