ERA19LA158

The pilot had just purchased the airplane and the accident flight was his first in it. Before the flight, the previous owner explained to the pilot that the main fuel tank was full of fuel and that the auxiliary tank contained no fuel. The pilot acknowledged the fuel state of the airplane and told the seller he "would not need" auxiliary fuel. Following an aborted takeoff attempt, the pilot departed for his home airport. The pilot advised first responders that during the flight, his “fuel quit working so he tried to prime it for his backup fuel to work.” When that did not remedy the problem, he prepared the airplane for a forced landing and subsequently impacted trees. The airplane was substantially damaged during the forced landing and the pilot was seriously injured. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the airplane at the accident site found that only a “very small amount” of fuel remained in the main fuel tank after the accident. The estimated fuel endurance of the airplane based on the fuel reported to be onboard at the time the pilot departed, and the estimated fuel consumption reported by the previous owner, was about 2.1 hours. The time elapsed between when the airplane departed and the accident was about 2.3 hours. Given this information, it is likely that the pilot exhausted the airplane’s available fuel supply, resulting in a total loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing.

On April 25, 2019, at 1358 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Super Acro Sport I, N20FB, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Elberton, Georgia. The pilot was seriously injured. The flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. According to the previous owner, he had just sold the airplane to the pilot. He had filled the main fuel tank with fuel, and the auxiliary tank contained no fuel as he "never used it." The previous owner advised the pilot that the main fuel tank was full and that the auxiliary tank was empty. The pilot acknowledged that the auxiliary tank was empty and said that "he wouldn't need it." The pilot told the previous owner that he would taxi the airplane and if it felt "good" he would take off and fly back to his home airport, Broad River Air Park (3GE3), Carnesville, Georgia. Following an aborted takeoff attempt, the pilot departed at 1139 and did not return. The previous owner later attempted to contact the pilot by telephone and was unsuccessful. When sheriff's deputies responded to the scene, the pilot reported that "his fuel quit working so he tried to prime it for his backup fuel to work." When the restoration of engine power was unsuccessful, the airplane was "too low" and the pilot said he prepared for an emergency landing and then struck trees. The airplane came to rest in trees 4 miles northwest of Elbert County Airport-Patz Field (EBA), Elberton, Georgia. The wreckage was placed upright by first responders and was photographed by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector as it rested on all three landing gear. The airplane was largely intact except for the right wing, which was destroyed by impact. The main fuel tank was intact and the inspector described that only “a very small amount” of fuel remained in the main fuel tank. The fuel selector was found with the auxiliary fuel tank selected, though the inspector was unable to examine that fuel tank. The airplane had a main fuel tank capacity of 17.5 gallons, and, according to the previous owner, the average fuel consumption rate was 8.5 gallons per hour. The estimated endurance of the airplane based on this fuel quantity and consumption was about 2.1 hours.