DFW05CA199

While in cruise flight the engine on the experimental airplane stopped producing power. The 625-hour private pilot selected a paved street in a new housing development and circled about 360 degrees as he descended. The airplane touched down on the road before alignment was achieved and drifted off the left side, colliding with a fire hydrant and coming to rest in an upright position. The airplane, equipped with two nine-gallon wing fuel tanks, was found to have approximately eleven gallons of fuel remaining. The reason for the reported loss of engine power could not be determined.

On August 2, 2005, about 1145 central daylight time, a single-engine Mrazek Rans S-14 experimental airplane, N5802, was substantially damaged following a loss of engine power during cruise flight near Fort Worth, Texas. The private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The cross-country flight originated from the Bridgeport Municipal Airport (XBP) near Bridgeport, Texas, at 1100, and was en route to the Fort Worth Spinks Airport (FWS), near Fort Worth, Texas.

According to the 625-hour pilot, when about eight miles short of the Fort Worth Spinks Airport, he contacted the air traffic controller and was instructed to proceed to the airport and enter the traffic pattern. Shortly thereafter the engine stopped producing power. The pilot informed the controller about the loss of engine power and searched for a place to land. He selected a paved street in a new housing development and circled approximately 360 degrees as he was descending. The airplane touched down on the road before alignment was achieved and drifted off the left side. The airplane impacted a fire hydrant and came to rest in an upright position.

A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who responded to the accident site reported that the airplane's right wing, right strut, and right landing gear to fuselage attachment point sustained structural damage. The inspector estimated that the airplane, equipped with two nine-gallon wing fuel tanks, contained approximately eleven gallons of fuel.

The reason for the reported loss of engine powere could not be determined.

At 1142, the weather observation facility at FWS, located about 6 nautical miles northwest from the site of the accident, was reporting wind 140 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear of clouds, temperature 91 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 61 degrees Fahrenheit, and barometric pressure setting of 30.04 inches of Mercury.