ERA18LA103

On the morning of the accident, the pilot performed a 2-hour test flight with newly-installed camera equipment, during which the airplane performed normally. While taking off on the second flight of the day, the pilot felt that there was something wrong with the engine. There were no abnormal indications and the engine continued to produce power until the pilot leveled the airplane at cruise altitude; the engine then lost total power and the pilot subsequently conducted a forced landing onto a road, resulting in substantial damage to the wings. A test run of the engine revealed that the fuel pump was adjusted to an excessively rich fuel flow setting, which resulted in a loss of power when the throttle was increased past about 2,100 rpm. The fuel pump was readjusted and the engine performed nominally. When the fuel pump was reset to the as-received setting, the engine exhibited the same loss of power as during the first run. Bench testing of the throttle body and fuel pump revealed that both units failed to meet production standards. Review of the airplane's maintenance records indicated that a fuel system adjustment was performed almost 2 years before the accident. It is likely that the improper fuel pump setting resulted in an overly rich fuel/air mixture and the subsequent loss of engine power; however, the reason for the loss of engine power during the accident flight, and not during previous flights since the fuel pump was adjusted, could not be determined.

On March 13, 2018, about 1330 eastern daylight time, a Cessna T210N, N5382A, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Orlando, Florida. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he and a coworker were conducting routine test flights with new camera equipment that had just been installed on the airplane. On the morning of the accident, the pilot performed a two-hour test flight with no issues. After starting the engine and waiting about 5 minutes to allow the camera system to boot up, the pilot taxied to the runway and was cleared for takeoff. As the airplane climbed, he felt there was something wrong with the engine, although it continued to produce power. He checked all the instruments and gauges and did not see any abnormalities. When the airplane reached cruise altitude, the pilot reduced power and the engine "quit." The pilot notified air traffic control of the engine failure and performed a forced landing on a road. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the empennage was separated from the fuselage. Both wings were buckled, and both wing assemblies were leaking fuel. The engine was removed and sent to the manufacturer for further examination and testing. After an examination, the engine was prepared and placed in an engine test cell. The engine ran normally up to about 2,100 rpm, then emitted black smoke from the exhaust and began to lose power when the throttle was increased, consistent with an overly rich fuel/air mixture. The fuel pump was leaned, and further test runs were completed with no anomalies. The unmetered pressure was at or slightly above the maximum pressure for full throttle. Upon completion of the standard run, the fuel pump was set back to the as-received setting and exhibited the same loss of power demonstrated during the first test. The throttle body and fuel pump were bench tested and both units failed to meet production standards. A review of the maintenance logbook entries revealed that on July 25, 2016, a fuel system adjustment was performed at a tachometer time of 9,854.4 hours. As of the last annual inspection on February 25, 2018, the engine had accumulated a total of 455.6 hours.