CEN13LA363

The pilot reported that before takeoff, he switched fuel tanks and waited on the ground with the engine idling for another airplane to land. After takeoff, upon reaching an altitude of 700 feet above ground level, the pilot reduced the engine power to about 5,600 rpm. Shortly thereafter, the engine sputtered and lost all power. The pilot made a forced landing in a marsh area, and the airplane nosed over. Wreckage examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal engine operation.

On June 19, 2013, about 1930 central daylight time, an experimental amateur built Thomsen Avid Flyer MK IV, N6240T, collided with the terrain following a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff from the Range Regional Airport (HIB), Hibbing, Minnesota. The sport pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane received substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not operated on a flight plan. The flight originated from HIB shortly before the accident and the intended destination was the Virginia Municipal Airport (EVM), Eveleth, Minnesota. The pilot stated he landed at HIB to pick up a passenger. He switched fuel tanks prior to takeoff and waited, with the engine idling, approximately 3 minutes for another airplane to land. After takeoff, upon reaching an altitude of 700 feet above ground level, the pilot reduced the engine power to about 5,600 rpm. Shortly thereafter, the engine sputtered and lost all power. The pilot was not able to restart the engine and he subsequently performed a forced landing in a marsh area east of the airport. The landing gear dug into the soft terrain and the airplane nosed over during the landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine was conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration. The examination revealed the spark plugs were in good condition with some oil residue. The oil injector tank was ½ to ¾ full of oil. The fuel lines were intact except for those at the wing roots which were disconnected to facilitate the wing removal during the recovery of the airplane. The fuel filter was clean and it contained residual fuel. The fuel pump contained residual fuel as did the line from the fuel pump to the forward carburetor. The fuel line to the aft carburetor did not contain any fuel. The bowl for the forward carburetor was full of fuel and the bowl for the aft carburetor was about ½ full of fuel. The engine turned freely when the propeller was rotated by hand. Fuel is gravity fed from the wings through a fuel selector on-off valve for each tank then into a quart size header tank. The fuel from the header tank then passes through a fuel filter and a fuel shutoff valve prior to the engine. The fuel valves that control the fuel flow from the wings into the header tank were located behind the pilot and above the right seat. The selector valves are quarter turn valves with on/off positions. The valves did not contain detents. The pilot reported the airplane had 18 gallons of fuel on board at takeoff.