- Date
- November 29, 2017, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mechanicsville, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N50FDriggers Quillan E Titan Tornado
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Fuel contamination
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 8, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20171129018899A
- Case key
- 96402
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 pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and failure to detect water contamination in the fuel system, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power on takeoff.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot/owner reported that the engine lost partial power after takeoff and that he then conducted a forced landing to a field. The airplane nosed over during the landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that he subsequently disassembled and examined the airplane and that he found water in the fuel tank, which explained the partial loss of engine power. The pilot's failure to conduct an adequate preflight inspection and to detect water in the fuel system before takeoff led to the partial loss of engine power.
Factual narrative
The airplane's engine lost partial power after takeoff and the pilot/owner performed a forced landing to a field. The airplane nosed over during the landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and vertical stabilizer. The pilot subsequently disassembled and inspected the airplane following the accident and reported that he had found water in the fuel tank, which explained the partial loss of engine power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N50F
- Reported as
- Driggers Quillan E Titan Tornado (UNDESIGNAT)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 175
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 495
- Engine
- Jabiru 2200, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · August 11, 2017 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- VA50 · Mechanicsville, VA
- Destination
- VA50 · Mechanicsville, VA
- Airport
- VA50 · Woods Farm Airstrip, runway 14, 2,200 × 80 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
- 77
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Last flight review
- July 11, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 615 total · 160 in this make and model · 0 in the last 90 days · 0.1 in the last 30 days · 0.1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- KOFP, 6 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 8, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.