CEN19LA157

The private pilot and a passenger were returning from a local flight and were cleared by the tower controller to enter a right downwind leg. The pilot started a descent and switched to the right fuel tank. Shortly after receiving landing clearance, the engine lost all power. The pilot informed the controller that the airplane could not reach the runway and that he was going to land the airplane in a field. During the landing, the airplane impacted a chain-link fence resulting in substantial damage to the wing and fuselage. An on-scene examination revealed that the fuel selector was in the off position. The left and right wing fuel tanks were drained during recovery; the right wing tank was full and the left wing tank was empty. The fuel filter bowl contained no residual fuel. Although the atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the development of carburetor icing at descent power, it is most likely that the fuel selector was not positioned correctly by the pilot which resulted in fuel starvation.

On May 27, 2019, about 1510 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA18-150 airplane, N70699, impacted ground objects during a forced landing following an inflight loss of engine power near Palm City, Florida. The private pilot and passenger were uninjured. The airplane sustained substantial wing and fuselage damage during the landing. The airplane was registered to Blazie Marketing Services Inc. and operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area about the time of the accident, and the flight was not operated on a flight plan. The local flight originated from the Witham Field Airport (SUA), near Stuart, Florida, about 1425. According to the pilot, he advised SUA tower that the flight was inbound to SUA when the airplane was over Naked Lady Ranch Airport, near Stuart, Florida. He was told to enter a right downwind to runway 12. The pilot started a decent and switched to the right fuel tank. For several minutes all was "normal." The tower gave the flight a landing clearance when the airplane was west of Interstate 95. The pilot then turned the airplane direct to the runway's numbers. About a minute later, the engine started popping like a "bad" magneto drop. The pilot checked the magneto switches and pumped the throttle. He indicated that the engine "reeved slightly" then quit. He assessed the situation, called the tower, and reported an "engine out." The pilot informed the tower that the airplane could not make the airport and that he was going to land the airplane in a field. He landed the airplane in an area under construction and "ran out of space" before he could get the airplane stopped. The pilot indicated that he used a chain link fence to stop the airplane. At 1540, the recorded weather at SUA was: Wind 090° at 8 kts; visibility 7 statute miles; sky condition scattered clouds at 2,000 ft; temperature 30° C; dew point 22° C; altimeter 30.03 inches of mercury. The recorded local temperature and dew point spread data near the time of the engine power loss was plotted on a carburetor icing chart. The charted data showed that the weather in the area was conducive to serious carburetor icing at descent power. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the accident airplane at the site and took photos. The fuel selector was found in the off position. The left and right wing fuel tanks were drained during the recovery of the airplane. When drained, the right wing tank was full and the left wing tank was empty. The engine's fuel filter bowl was subsequently inspected and found to have no residual fuel. Fuel was run from the right wing fuel line to the engine. Fuel then flowed through the filter bowl.