- Date
- May 1, 1993, 18:01 local (22:01 UTC)
- Place
- Wampum, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- UNREGMcmillin Fisher 404
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11940
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The overtorque of a safety wire on a plastic fuel line, causing the line to split.
Analysis
About 45 seconds after takeoff, the airplane's engine lost total power. The pilot made a forced landing, and during the approach, the airplane impacted a tree. Post accident examination of the airplane revealed that a plastic fuel line had been safety wired and the wire was over torqued, causing the fuel line to split. There was evidence that during initial climb from take off, air entered the fuel line, starving the engine of fuel. The pilot was operating the airplane under 14 CFR part 103 as an ultralight and did not hold any FAA certificates. The post accident investigation revealed the aircraft weighed over the weight limitation of 254 pounds as imposed by 14 CFR part 103; therefore, it was designated an airplane.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- UNREG
- Reported as
- Mcmillin Fisher 404
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Engine
- Rotax 532, 60 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James Mcmillin
- Registered owner
- James Mcmillin
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Medical
- Unknown
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- YNG, 1 nm away