- Date
- March 29, 2022, 14:20 local (18:20 UTC)
- Place
- Mascotte, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N22LVFpna A-22 Valor
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220329003509A
- Case key
- 104872
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 incorrect positioning of both wing fuel valves, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
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 experimental airplane was equipped with a 2.5-gallon header fuel tank, which allowed for about 20 minutes of flight. There was also a fuel tank in each wing that fed the header fuel tank, and each wing fuel tank had a respective fuel shutoff valve. The pilot stated that he recently purchased the airplane, and the fuel valve placards were confusing; however, he did not notice until after the accident that the fuel valve handles have on/off arrows embossed in them. While flying in the airport traffic pattern, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power and the pilot attempted to glide to a runway, but the airplane struck a fence just prior to the runway and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and vertical stabilizer. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane and he believed that he flew with the fuel valves in the off position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N22LV
- Reported as
- Fpna A-22 Valor
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 192
- Built
- 2007
- Airframe hours
- 1,163
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · January 2, 2022 · 66 hours before
- Airport
- 06FD · Grass Roots Airpark, runway 18, 3,400 × 120 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 75
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- July 19, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 0.3 in this make and model · 0.3 in the last 90 days · 0.3 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.16 inHg
- Observed at
- LEE, 10 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KLEE 291853Z 01003KT 10SM CLR 29/13 A3016
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 26, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.5 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.