ERA13LA347

The student pilot, who was also the builder of the airplane, took off from a pasture, and, shortly thereafter, the engine quit. The student pilot turned the airplane back toward the pasture, but while approaching it, the airplane stalled and then impacted the ground. The student pilot subsequently found that the fuel filter was clogged, which likely resulted in fuel starvation to the engine. According to the student pilot, he did not have a way to check the fuel quality onboard the airplane, and the airplane's last inspection was completed over 5 years earlier. The student pilot did not note when or if the fuel system had ever been flushed or if the fuel filter was ever changed, but he speculated that the containers he used to transport fuel from a local gas station might have collected dust over time from filling or draining. The student pilot reported only 10 hours of total flight time, all in the accident airplane make and model, which coincided with the 5+ years he had been operating the airplane.

On July 22, 2013, about 1400 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Quicksilver MXL, N2590B, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to the student pilot/builder's pasture in Lexington, Tennessee. The student pilot sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local personal flight, which originated at the pasture and was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.According to the student pilot, he took off from the pasture and shortly thereafter, the engine quit. He headed the airplane back toward the pasture, but "it fell short." The student pilot's wife stated that after the engine quit, the airplane "dropped like a rock." A photograph of the side-by-side seated airplane provided by the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed impacted soil and fore-to-aft crushing in the vicinity of the left seat rudder pedals. The student pilot subsequently advised that he found that dirty fuel had plugged the fuel filter. He also noted that he had no way to check the fuel once it was on the airplane. He further stated that he utilized 93-octane, no ethanol fuel which he would buy at a local gas station and transport in "approved" containers. When questioned about the source of the dirt in the filter, he explained, "Best I can think of is dust from filling or draining over time." According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the student pilot, age 43 at the time of the accident, had obtained a student pilot certificate with a third class medical certificate in July 2009, making it valid through July 2014. The student pilot did not provide any evidence of flight instructor endorsement for the flight. The student pilot indicated 10 hours of total flight time, with 1 hour in the previous 30 days; all in the accident airplane make and model. FAA records indicated that the airplane was last registered in November 2007, and according to the student pilot, it had 10 hours of total operating time at the time of the accident. The student pilot did not indicate when or if he ever flushed the fuel system or changed the fuel filter, but did state that the airplane's last inspection was in January 2008.