- Date
- April 30, 1989, 07:00 local (12:00 UTC)
- Place
- Watertown, WI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N29HJTesmer Glassair SH-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890430010339A
- Case key
- 14205
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
Lack fuel flow to the engine (fuel starvation) due to an undetermined fuel system problem.
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 new, home built, acft was on its maiden flt. As the owner was performing stalls about 1/2 hr after takeoff, the eng began running rough. Power was restored when the plt turned on the elec boost pump & selected the header tank. About 2 min later, as he was apchg the arpt to land, the eng lost power again & would not restart. Subsequently, the acft was damaged drg an emerg lndg. Drg an exam of the fuel sys, air was found in the plastic fuel line & no fuel was found in the gascolator. The float/needle valve was found stuck in the open psn & the float setting was about 1/2 inch out of adjustment. However, the open valve should have allowed unrestricted fuel flow rather than fuel starvation. The builder had modified the fuel sys by installing an extra fuel filter. The extra fuel filter was installed in the plastic fuel line & was in addition to the screens in the gascolator & the carburetor inlet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N29HJ
- Reported as
- Tesmer Glassair SH-2
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 134
- Airframe hours
- 2
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B3B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Tesmer, James J.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · April 6, 1989 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- PVT · Waterloo, WI
- Destination
- RYV
- Airport
- RYN · Watertown Muni, runway 23, 3,600 × 75 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 28
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 354 total · 3 in this make and model · 300 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MSN, 26 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.