ERA19LA015

The pilot was in cruise flight when the engine lost partial power, then total power. He restarted the engine and briefly regained partial power, but shortly thereafter, the engine again lost all power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a road, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage. A test run of the engine indicated no anomalies; however, further inspection revealed a stuck float needle in the carburetor and a clogged carburetor vent line, which could have led to an excess vacuum in the carburetor and restricted fuel flow. It is likely that this restriction caused a transient condition that resulted in the loss of engine power that was not replicated during the test run.

On October 13, 2018, about 1205 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Avid Flyer, N3HH, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Palm Bay, Florida. The private 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 the airplane was in cruise flight at 1,200 ft mean sea level when the engine rpm began to decrease; the engine then lost all power. He was able to restart the engine but could not restore full power. The engine continued to run at a low idle rpm before again losing total power. The pilot chose to perform a forced landing to a road, during which the airplane touched down “firmly”, and the landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane and noted substantial damage to the fuselage tube structure. During a test run, the engine started and ran for several minutes around 3,500 rpm. Both magnetos produced an acceptable drop in rpm when checked. The engine was subsequently sent to an overhaul shop, where further inspection revealed a stuck float needle in the carburetor and a clogged carburetor vent line.