- Date
- April 22, 1990, 13:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Sandwich, IL
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N396DZDan T. Zelazo Avid/Speedwing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900422010499A
- Case key
- 14451
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
Improper installation of a fuel line by the p. lot/manufacturer which resulted in separation of a fuel line, resulting in fuel starvation.
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 owner-built airplane had taken off and was climbing on runway heading when the pilot states he began to lose engine power and settle. The pilot maintained course and flying speed as the airplane descended into a 50 foot tree top where it hung suspended. Examination of the airplane revealed fuel in the tank but all lines downstream of the in-line fuel filter were dry. The main fuel line to the engine was disconnected at the inlet to the fuel filter. Hose clamps were missing at connections throughout the fuel system from tank through carburetor.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N396DZ
- Reported as
- Dan T. Zelazo Avid/Speedwing (AVID/SPEED)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 447
- Airframe hours
- 19
- Engine
- Rotax 532 LC, 40 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Zelazo, Dan T.
- Registered owner
- Dan T Zelazo
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 25, 1989 · 7 hours before
- Airport
- C48 · Woodlake Landing, runway 26, 2,988 × 50 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 698 total · 41 in this make and model · 618 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.