- Date
- February 24, 1989, 13:28 local (20:28 UTC)
- Place
- Colorado Spring, CO
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N94ECEller BD-5B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890224002699A
- Case key
- 17676
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The improper installation of fuel lines which were pinched off causing fuel starvation when the gear was retracted. A factor in the accident were the terrain features including loose gravel short of the runway.
Analysis
The commercial plt was performing an initial flight on his single place homebuilt acft. During initial climb, at 400 ft AGL, the gear and flaps were retracted. 10 seconds later the engine seemed to lose power and the plt switched fuel tanks. The power resumed and 20 seconds later the plt said the engine stopped. The plt made a 180 deg turn and attempted to return to the airport. The plane undershot and landed 100 feet short of the rwy. The plt reported the landing gear pinched the flexible fuel lines when retracted. An FAA inspector concurred after a post accident inspection. 5 weeks later the plt wrote a letter stating that he felt that water in the auto fuel caused the reported engine stoppage.
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
- N94EC
- Reported as
- Eller BD-5B
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1994
- Airframe hours
- 10
- Engine
- Suzuki 532CC, 95 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard E. Eller
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- COS
- Destination
- COS
- Airport
- COS · Colorado Springs, runway 30, 8,511 × 150 ft, grass/turf
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
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 436 total · 6 in this make and model · 6 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.